A/57/153 States of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), elaborated with the support of the Centre. The plan of action sets achievable goals and objectives, calling on ECOWAS States to ratify and fully implement international instruments of ECOWAS and the United Nations. 48. In October 2001, the Government of the Philippines launched a strategic action plan for a national coalition against trafficking in human beings. The main features of the national action plan provide, inter alia, for the early ratification of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and the protocol against trafficking in persons; a special bill against trafficking in persons; strengthened investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases through specialized databases, specialized law enforcement units and improved police-prosecutor cooperation; training for law enforcers, prosecutors, social workers and frontline officers, as well as staff of embassies and consulates; improved support for victims and the protection of witnesses in cases of trafficking in persons; and comprehensive public awareness campaigns on the subject. D. Global programme against transnational organized crime 49. In cooperation with UNICRI, the Centre has launched a survey on transnational organized crime to assess organized criminal groups. Information has been collected on 40 transnational organized criminal groups most active in the countries and the subregion. The instruments to collect data have been modified in consultation with UNICRI, the Falcone project of the European Union and Europol. Those new instruments are being tested for collecting information on organized criminal groups in two regional projects in West Africa and Central Asia (see para. 50 below). The assessment of organized criminal groups has resulted in the development of a series of standard typologies of those groups, enabling the programme to be able to classify and thus more effectively monitor trends in transnational organized crime. 50. Two regional projects are under way which aim at the collection of relevant information on the most prominent organized criminal groups. The first addresses the phenomenon of transnational organized crime groups active in selected countries of the West African region (Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal) and Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan) and their transnational dimension. The projects will provide a systematic collection and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data and information on organized crime groups operating in the region. They will also identify the most appropriate control measures to combat and prevent organized crime. 51. In 1999, a project was launched in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to tackle economic and financial crime through strengthened legal provisions and the establishment of a specialized police unit. The amendments to the Constitution, the Criminal Code and Criminal Procedural Code were submitted to the Parliament for approval in 2001. A model programme for training seminars on fighting organized crime following the provisions of the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime was developed. The programme has been successfully tested in Colombia, Croatia, Guatemala, Peru and Slovakia. The seminars examined best practices to fight organized crime and corruption in relation to police and prosecutors’ investigations, international cooperation, collaboration with and protection of witnesses, prevention of organized crime and antiorganized crime legislation. The pilot seminars were evaluated positively by participants and will be replicated in other countries. E. Crime prevention and juvenile justice 52. The Centre for International Crime Prevention continued the implementation of the project to strengthen the institutional capacity for juvenile justice in Lebanon. The project supported the reform of legislation on juveniles and the establishment of systems for the monitoring, follow-up and reintegration of juveniles upon release. A follow-up project has been designed by the Centre together with the Government, and is expected to commence in 2002. It aims at improving services and detention conditions for female juveniles in Lebanon. A juvenile justice sector project proposal for Egypt has also been designed. Subject to donor contributions, the project may start in 2002. The Centre continued to provide technical support for the implementation of a project aimed at reducing violence against women in South Africa. 53. The Afghan Interim Administration is setting in motion processes to re-establish national institutions, in 11