Access is the act whereby a state accepts the offer or the opportunity to become a party to a treaty already negotiated and signed by other states. It has the same legal effect as ratification. Access usually occurs after the treaty has entered into force. The Secretary-General of the United Nations, in his function as depositary, has also accepted access to some conventions before their entry into force. The conditions under which access may occur and the procedure involved depend on the provisions of the treaty. A treaty may provide for the access of all other states or for a limited and defined number of states. In the absence of such a provision, access can only occur where the negotiating states were agreed or subsequently agreed on it in the case of the state in question. (Source: Arts.2 (1) (b) and 15,