A/RES/57/173 Conference on People Smuggling, Trafficking in Persons and Related Transnational Crime, held at Bali, Indonesia, from 26 to 28 February 2002, 1 and the seventh Regional Conference on Migration, held at Antigua, Guatemala, from 28 to 31 May 2002, as part of the Puebla Process, Recognizing also the urgent need to increase technical cooperation activities to assist countries, in particular developing countries and countries with economies in transition, with their efforts in translating United Nations conventions and other legal instruments and policy guidelines into practice, Recalling its resolution 55/25 of 15 November 2000, by which it adopted the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, and its resolution 55/255 of 31 May 2001, by which it adopted the Protocol against the Illicit Manufacturing of and Trafficking in Firearms, Their Parts and Components and Ammunition, Emphasizing the importance of the expeditious entry into force of the Convention and the Protocols thereto as a milestone in the efforts to fight and prevent organized crime, one of the most serious contemporary threats to democracy and peace, Recognizing the need to maintain a balance in the technical cooperation capacity of the Centre for International Crime Prevention of the Office on Drugs and Crime 2 of the Secretariat between all priorities identified by the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council, Recalling its relevant resolutions, in which it requested the Secretary-General, as a matter of urgency, to provide the United Nations Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Programme with sufficient resources for the full implementation of its mandate, in conformity with the high priority attached to the Programme, Recalling also its resolution 56/253 of 24 December 2001, in which it requested the Secretary-General to make proposals to strengthen the Terrorism Prevention Branch at the United Nations Office at Vienna and to report thereon to the General Assembly for its consideration, Bearing in mind the Vienna Declaration on Crime and Justice: Meeting the Challenges of the Twenty-first Century, adopted by the General Assembly in its resolution 55/59 of 4 December 2000, Recalling the plans of action for the implementation of the Vienna Declaration on Crime and Justice: Meeting the Challenges of the Twenty-first Century annexed to General Assembly resolution 56/261 of 31 January 2002, Recalling also its resolution 56/260 of 31 January 2002, by which the General Assembly established the terms of reference of the Ad Hoc Committee for the Negotiation of a Convention against Corruption, Taking note of Economic and Social Council resolution 2002/19 of 24 July 2002, entitled “Strengthening international cooperation and technical assistance _______________ 1 2 2 See A/57/64. Formerly known as the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention.