While the treaty has been in operation since 1961, only an additional 33 UN members have acceded to it since then. Thus, support for the treaty is far from universal. Fewer than one quarter of the member states of the United Nations are state parties to the treaty. At various stages in different fora, the countervailing argument has been made that the Antarctic should be declared part of the common heritage of mankind and be treated in a manner analogous to outer space or the international seabed area. Such a view has found expression in the call for a UN agreement to which all member states would subscribe as the best means of ensuring full accountability for actions undertaken in and concerning Antarctica.