The Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty was established in 2004 to assist the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (the ATCM) and the Committee for Environmental Protection (the CEP) in performing their functions, with the aim of strengthening the Antarctic Treaty system and ensuring that all activities in Antarctica are consistent with the purposes and principles of the Antarctic Treaty and its Protocol on Environmental Protection. The Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty is located in downtown Buenos Aires, Argentina. The Argentine Government provides the office for the Secretariat and the Headquarters Agreement describes the relationship between the ATCM and the Argentine Republic with respect to the Secretariat’s operations in Argentina. The Secretariat and its work are funded by the Consultative Parties. The Secretariat’s budget is approved each year at the ATCM while Financial Regulations govern its management. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in Washington on 1 December 1959 and entered into force in 1961. There are currently 29 Consultative and 24 Non-Consultative Parties to the Treaty.