Last week, the president personally registered the 4 billionth (4th billion?) citizen of the glorious People's Republic of Groot Gouda. The parents, not knowing about this surprise, were delighted. As a birthday gift, they received a glass sculpture by the famous Groot Gouda artist Dirk Crabet, plus the baby's weight in florins.

Category: Human Rights
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: Groot Gouda

Description: REGRETTING the repeal of UN Resolution #38: The Rights of Labor Unions, and wishing to improve the original resolution,

DETERMINED to provide protection for all workers in all UN member nations,

CONVINCED that this is best provided on a national level through the formation of Unions,

FURTHER CONVINCED that Unions will improve the working conditions and with that production,

The NS UN

1. RESOLVES that all nations must recognize the right for every citizen in a UN member nation to form or join Unions for the purpose of collective representation of workers, and the right of those Unions to establish and join federations and confederations of Trade Unions, both nationally and internationally,

2. ESTABLISHES the right of all workers in all UN member nations to go on strike; employers are allowed to withhold wages of workers while they are on strike, but it is not a reason to fire a worker,

3. EXEMPTS from the right granted in clause 2:
a. Strikes by personnel of the armed forces;
b. Strikes not authorized by a union;
c. Strikes which directly endanger the life of citizens in a nation, such as but not limited to medical and police personnel;

4. MANDATES that for the workers who are not allowed to go on strike, independent arbitration is provided whose decision shall be carried out by all parties in the conflict,

5. URGES all national governments to have regular talks with representatives from the Unions to keep wages and working conditions at a fair level,

6. AFFIRMS the right of Unions and their national and international organisations to be free from interference by the public authorities when drawing up their constitutions and rules, electing their representatives, organizing their administration and activities, and formulating their programs; nations have the right to insist on minimum democratic standards within unions,

7. FORBIDS discrimination based on Union-membership where employment is concerned: non-members and members should have equal opportunities in being hired, work assignment, promotion and trainings regardless of Union-membership,

8. DECLARES that Unions must respect national law, and that national laws shall not be made to impair the guarantees provided for in this resolution.


I don't know if we can support this, the author seems kind of suspicious

Category: Free Trade
Strength: Mild
Proposed by: St Edmund

Description: Argument: The United Nations,

NOTING that accurate forecasting of the weather and of changes in the climate can be very useful for the agriculture, fishing, tourism and transport industries, as well as for nations? populations in general;

NOTING that weather patterns are unlikely to fit neatly within national borders, especially when types of weather with potentially serious effects are involved, and that climate changes can have world-wide effects;

NOTING that the more information is available the more accurately weather-forecasting models can be designed and used;

REALISING that nations may be reluctant to share information about their current and predicted weather when they are at war, because that information might be of use to their enemies;

ESTABLISHES the ?International Meteorological Organisation? [or ?IMO?] to collect information about weather, climate changes, and methods for forecasting these; to help develop better forecasting methods; and to disseminate this information to any cooperating UN member-nations whose governments request it;

STRONGLY URGES the governments of UN member-nations to cooperate with the IMO by supplying it with all of the relevant information that they possess;

STRONGLY URGES any governments of UN member-nations who choose to restrict the spread of relevant information during wartime to cooperate with the IMO by saving that information so that it can be sent to the IMO for research purposes after those hostilities have ended;

INSTRUCTS the IMO to cooperate with any other UN agencies that might also have an interest in the subject, such as [for example] the Natural Disaster Assessment Organisation or the Tsunami Emergency Warning Centre, within any limits set by the resolutions which created those agencies;

OFFERS the services of the IMO to any nations that are not members of the UN, if their governments are willing to pay a negotiated contribution towards its expenses and to send it all relevant information that they possess, except for any such nations that are at war with any UN member-nations;

REQUIRES that any information that the IMO has supplied to national governments shall only be passed to any subsequent users free of charge, rather than sold either by those governments or by anybody else.

Lately, I've found myself wasting a lot of time online just playing games and the like. So, I was wondering on which sites everyone here spends a lot of time (NS doesn't count... we know that already.) I know we all have our favorites.

Lately for me, I've been playing a lot of Ninja-Man. It's a short sidescroller (only 2 levels), but it has ninjas!

This is something that we've been working on at GTT. It was posted on jolt some time ago and I ran it through the proposal list a couple of times. Some of you may remember it.
Quote: Believing that the benefits of the peaceful application of nuclear technology should be available to all UN nations and convinced that all UN nations are entitled to participate in the exchange of scientific information for the further development of atomic energy for peaceful purposes,

Disturbed by the possibility of widespread devastation that could occur as the result of a nuclear war and determined to reduce the danger of such a war,

Believing that the proliferation of nuclear weapons increases the danger of nuclear war,

Alarmed at the potential threat posed to international security by the acquisition of nuclear weaponry by rogue states,

Defining a nuclear weapon as a weapon that relies on nuclear fusion or fission for its destructive effect. Excluded from this definition shall be any integrated guidance, safety and security systems, or any other peripheral system not directly related to the explosive payload itself, or its detonation device(s).

The General Assembly of the United Nations hereby enacts the following:

ARTICLE I: All UN member nations shall refrain from:
(1): The transfer to any nation, of nuclear weapons or control over such weapons directly, or indirectly.
(2): The transfer from any nation, of nuclear weapons or control over such weapons directly, or indirectly.
(3): Assisting or inducing any nation to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or control over such weapons.
(4): Seeking or receiving any assistance in the manufacture of nuclear weapons.

ARTICLE II: Nothing in this legislation shall be interpreted as affecting the right of all UN nations to develop nuclear arms using their own technology and manufacturing capabilities.

ARTICLE III: Nothing in this legislation shall be interpreted as affecting the right of all UN nations to share technology related to safety and security systems, guidance systems, delivery systems or any other peripheral systems not directly related to the design or manufacture of the nuclear weapon itself, provided such activities are in conformity with article I of this legislation.

ARTICLE IV: Nothing in this legislation shall be interpreted as affecting the right of all UN nations to research, produce and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, or their participation in the exchange of equipment, materials and scientific and technological information for peaceful purposes, provided such activities are in conformity with article I of this legislation.[/quote]

Quote: Waste Disposal Thingy

Category: Environmental
Industry Affected: All Businesses
Proposed by: Fonzoland

Description:

APPALLED at the environmental and public health risks posed by irresponsible waste disposal,

COMMENDING all efforts to minimise these risks by recycling or responsible waste disposal, yet

NOTING that the economic viability of recycling is driven by demand, technology, and other national circumstances,

REGRETTING that some nations do not possess the technology or resources necessary for responsible waste disposal,

DEEPLY AWARE of the multitude of personal and industrial waste products with different chemical characteristics, and of the variety of waste disposal techniques, most of which are only suitable for specific types of waste,

CONSCIOUS that legislation detailing specific technologies or processes is likely to be made obsolete by scientific progress,

DEFINING for the purposes of this resolution:
- 'waste' as unwanted materials of little or no value that are generated by human activities,
- 'impact' as the negative aesthetic, public health, and environmental consequences of a certain practice,
- 'waste disposal' as the collection, transport, processing, storage, disposal, and destruction of waste with the purpose of minimising its impact,

The UN:

1. ADVISES member nations that the use of recyclable or biodegradable materials in industrial production can greatly reduce the cost and impact of waste disposal;

2. ENCOURAGES member nations to create public organisations, or to stimulate the creation of private organisations, capable of performing responsible waste disposal;

3. CREATES the UN Waste Disposal Authority (WDA), mandated to:
a) Establish, publish, and regularly update:
- a description of available waste disposal techniques (WDT), outlining their impact when applied to different waste categories,
- a list of recommended WDT for each category, taking into account technological and economic constraints, and their maximum permissible impact,
- a list of 'hazardous waste' categories, which pose serious health or environmental risks, or for which no satisfactory WDT exist,
- a list of banned WDT, deemed to pose unacceptably high risks of direct impact on other nations;
b) Officially certify the WDT of entities that request it, provided they meet said recommendations;
c) Perform regular and surprise inspections of certified entities to ensure said recommendations are strictly followed;
d) Research improved WDT with reduced impact or costs;
e) Advise upon request on the best WDT for each waste category;

4. INVITES member nations to contribute personnel, technology, knowledge, and funding to the WDA;

5. ENCOURAGES the use of recommended WDT;

6. INSTRUCTS member nations to:
a) Prevent the use of banned WDT;
b) Impose economic and compensatory damages on any entity in their jurisdiction whose waste disposal practices are deemed to have a direct impact on other member nations, and promptly transfer collected damages to affected nations;
c) Impose, at their discretion, punitive damages or criminal charges on entities guilty of such misconduct;

7. URGES member nations to provide similar compensation to non-member nations and national entities;

8. PROHIBITS:
a) International transfer of hazardous waste without the official consent of receiving nations;
b) International transfer of waste by non-certified entities;
c) Protectionist devices, such as tariffs, duties, or quotas, on the provision of waste disposal services by certified entities.[/quote]

Comments?

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EDIT LOG:
Minor clarifications
Changed to match jolt

To all nations,

In my little time around here, I have been aware that many IDU active members are interested in the drafting and constructive discussion of UN legislation. I have also noticed that you are able to make valuable contributions to debate, and yet some are not regular participants in the jolt UN forum. I can guess some of the reasons for not posting there; however, I would like to suggest participation in two relatively recent off-site fora.

The Green Think Tank, a forum dedicated to the drafting of serious (nonfluffy) environmental legislation. Currently we are debating a waste disposal idea, and in the near future a recycling proposal.

Reclamation, a forum dedicated to providing constructive, non snippy feedback to general drafting, and also to counter the current trend of repeals. Very similar to Biotopia's recent suggestion.

Both are very friendly and politically neutral environments, and seem to match very well with the beliefs of most IDU nations. Both would need the expertise of the older nations, and would be delighted to advise younger ones on their efforts.

Register now! The world needs you!

Feel free to contact me (or post here) for more information.

Congrats!

:wave: :123hup: :funky_pisang: :micky: :topspin: :roll: :jump: :yeah: :boogie:

Category: Human Rights
Strength: Strong
Proposed by: Kalibara

Description: Understanding the deep divisions and emotions surrounding the issue of clinical abortion.

Convinced however that all women have the right to ultimate control over their own reproduction and fertility, and those rights exceed any perceived right to life of a potential person

DEFINES

1) A "potential person" as an embryo or foetus incapable of survival outside the womb of the woman carrying it;

2) A "viable foetus" as one capable of survival outside the womb of the woman carrying it;

3) A "clinical abortion" as a medical procedure performed on a pregnant woman, at any stage of the pregnancy prior to natural birth, with the sole aim of terminating the pregnancy;

Strongly encourages nations to reject the practice of late term abortion based solely on the gender of the foetus.

Stands firm in the belief that no state has the right to force women to bear unwanted children, and that the right of women to control their own reproduction and fertility is a basic human right;

Mandates the following:

1 - Member states shall not restrict the right of a woman to control her own reproduction and fertility, unless she is suffering from a diagnosed and internationally recognised mental disease or defect and has been legally deemed incapable of giving informed consent. In such cases, informed consent may be given by her legal guardian or advocate and such consent shall be accepted by the state.

2 ? Member states shall neither restrict the right of qualified individuals to perform abortions, nor prevent said individuals from setting up conveniently located, properly equipped, and universally accessible abortion clinics. No medical personal may be compelled to directly participate in an abortion if such a procedure goes against their personal ethics.

3 ? While a member state may not refuse to allow a woman access to clinical abortion at any stage of pregnancy, it may, at its own discretion, request that doctors be allowed to take all necessary steps to deliver a viable foetus safely. The child shall receive all medical care it requires as a premature baby, and may then be placed for adoption if the woman who gave birth relinquishes, or the state removes the child from her custody. This clause does not apply to cases where such an operation would endanger the woman or in circumstances of deformities of the foetus.

4 - Member states shall ensure, by such measures as deemed adequate, that costs of clinical abortion are kept at a reasonable level and that all women can access abortion services, regardless of their financial situation. These measures may include regulation, state coverage, requiring private health insurance to cover abortion, and free competition...

5 ? The state may at its own discretion, offer education sessions to all pregnant women. It may not at any stage of the pregnancy force women to attend such sessions. Information given must be factual, balanced, and presented without bias. If offered, the sessions must include, though not be solely limited to, all aspects of contraception, pregnancy, birth, adoption and clinical abortion.

Category: Moral Decency
Strength: Mild
Proposed by: Omigodtheykilledkenny2

Description: The United Nations,

REAFFIRMING Article 5 of The Universal Bill of Rights, that no one may be subjected to cruel or inhuman treatment,

RECOGNISING that both scientific and moral opinion remains, and is likely to remain, irreparably divided over the issue of at what stage human life begins,

ACKNOWLEDGING that there are many societies within the NSUN that would consider a fetus, and especially a developed fetus in the third trimester, to possess human characteristics and be deserving of special protection, whilst others would not,

REGRETTING that such divisions render global resolution over abortion unlikely,

SEEKING to establish a fair compromise:

1. DECLARES that states have the right to declare abortion legal or illegal, and to pass legislation extending or restricting the right to an abortion;

2. RECOMMENDS that in cases of rape, incest, severe fetal abnormality or where the continuation of the pregnancy poses severe medical risk to the mother, states permit abortion procedures;

3. URGES states to prevent the Intact Dilation and Extraction (IDX or 'partial birth') procedure;

4. CALLS FOR increased international research in fetal development, so as to develop greater understanding of the ramifications of abortion;

5. REMINDS states that in the absence of completely reliable contraception, there may always remain a demand for abortion, and that legalisation and regulation is more likely to provide sanitary abortion possibilities.

Authored by Gruenberg