A/57/153 providing assistance for the victims”, “International cooperation, technical assistance and advisory services in crime prevention and criminal justice”, “Illicit trafficking in protected species of wild fauna and flora” and “Strengthening international cooperation and technical assistance within the framework of the activities of the Centre for International Crime Prevention in preventing and combating terrorism”. IV. Promoting the ratification of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the protocols thereto 7. By its resolution 55/25, the General Assembly adopted the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and two protocols thereto against the trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants. By its resolution 55/255, the Assembly also adopted a supplementary protocol against the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms. In both resolutions, the Assembly urged all States and regional organizations to sign and ratify the instruments as soon as possible in order to ensure their speedy entry into force. 8. A report of the Secretary-General on promoting the ratification of the Convention and its three Protocols (E/CN.15/2002/10) was submitted to the Commission at its eleventh session. The Commission expressed strong support for the work of the Centre for International Crime Prevention, in particular the efforts to support the ratification process, calling for increased contributions to the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Fund. 9. As of 15 June 2002, there were 141 signatories to the Convention, 105 signatories to the protocol against trafficking in persons, 101 signatories to the protocol against the smuggling of migrants, and 31 signatories to the protocol against the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms. In addition, 15 States have ratified the Convention, 12 States have ratified the human trafficking protocol, 11 States have ratified the smuggling protocol and two States have ratified the protocol on the illicit manufacturing of and trafficking in firearms. Several more countries have completed the ratification process but have not yet deposited their instruments of ratification. 4 10. The Centre has developed a strategy and a series of activities, focusing on both the political and substantive work that Governments would need to undertake in order to ratify the Convention and its protocols. A key goal of the strategy is the strengthening of the political momentum among States, expressed at the conclusion of the negotiations for the new instruments and by the number of opening signatories to the Convention, the highest ever for such an instrument. 11. In that context, the Centre has continued to provide assistance to Member States in undertaking the necessary steps leading to the ratification of the instruments. Two regional, 6 subregional and 10 national seminars have reviewed the legislative and other steps needed for the ratification of the instruments. Participants comprised experts with substantive responsibility for ratification efforts in competent government ministries or offices and ministers or high-level officials with political responsibility for those efforts. The seminars were conducted on the basis of a series of presentations developed by the Centre, with the use of a checklist of elements for ratification of the instruments. 12. To assess the needs of Member States, in cooperation with the International Scientific and Professional Advisory Council of the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme, the Centre prepared a questionnaire addressed to policy makers and legislation drafters which was distributed to participants at the seminars. The International Association of Prosecutors, in cooperation with the Centre, developed a more detailed questionnaire addressed to practitioners. Results from both questionnaires will be compiled for use in formulating future work and specific programmes for individual countries requesting assistance. 13. The Centre, with the support of the Government of Canada and in cooperation with the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, has begun the elaboration of a legislative guide for the ratification of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, to be completed by the end of 2002. The elaboration of similar guides for the protocols to the Convention is envisaged with the assistance of the French and Italian Governments.