This is a proposal I wrote up, and am going to submit through my UN puppet, Audland. I've also posted this on the Jolt boards.

Quote: Highway Infrastructure Safety Act

(Not sure on the category, International Security, perhaps?)

The United Nations,

NOTING the poor structural integrity of many bridges worldwide;

DEEPLY REGRETTING the loss of life and property caused by bridge and roadway collapse;

AWARE of the large cost involved in bridge and roadway construction;

CONVINCED that improvements to bridge and roadway infrastructure may help prevent the loss of innocent lives;

1: ESTABLISHES the United Nations Highway Infrastructure Safety Commission, or UNHISC;

2: AUTHORIZES the UNHISC to perform safety inspections on all road and highway bridges, overpasses, and elevated spans in UN nations;
2.1: Bridges shall be rated on a ten-point scale, with 10 being the highest, meaning the bridge is new or in like-new condition, and 1 being the lowest, meaning the bridge is incapable of supporting normal traffic.

3: AUTHORIZES the UNHISC to force the closure of bridges with ratings below a 3 on the ten point scale.

4: CALLS UPON member nations to contribute money toward the construction and maintenance of bridges both domestically and abroad.[/quote]

Questions, comments, constructive criticism?

This place is dead. What can we do to make it less so?

If you are reading this, Lloegr-Cymru, I do wish you the happiest of birthdays ever

:duck: :pisang: :funky_pisang: :duck: :worship:

I won't have access to a computer next week, which of course means I won't be around for said week. I'll try to be more active when I come back.

Protection of Historical Sites

A resolution to promote funding and the development of education and the arts.

Category: Education and Creativity

Area of Effect: Cultural Heritage

Proposed by: Lapis Heaven

Description: The United Nations,

AWARE of the importance of historical sites for the international community and future generations;

NOTING that history isn't only a national subject, but of international concern;

BELIEVING that keeping history alive therefore is without doubt worth being handled by the United Nations;

DECIDES to protect historical sites of importance


Therefore:

?1 DEFINES a 'historical site' as

a. building (including fountains, aqueducts and structures to similar purpose)
b. remains
c. excavation
d. grave/tomb or
e. cult site

with historical means to a specific nation or folk as well as to the international community.


?2 ESTABLISHES the 'List of UN-protected Historical Sites' containing all historical sites, that are of supraregional importance, because they are/were

a. a masterpiece of human creation
b. a major watershed in architecture, technology, urban development or landscaping
c. a unique or at least rare evidence of a contemporary or lost civilization
d. an outstanding example of an architectural, technical or scenic type, that emblematize one or more important episode(s) in history of humanity
e. an outstanding example of traditional human housing schemes or land/sea utilization, which is typical for one or more cultures or
f. connected directly or at least distinguishable with events, traditional ways of life, ideas, credos, artistic or literary acts of exceptional universal meaning.


?3 ESTABLISHES the 'United Nations Committee for Protection of Historical Sites' (UNCPH) as board of twelve independent members, elected by UN.


?4 MANDATES the UNCPH to keep the 'List of UN-protected Historical Sites' (see ?2) updated ex officio and publish it in print and online via database. Each member state per application as well as 10% of the population of a member state per petition can request a change (admission or deletion) of the list. The UN hereby forbids any other change of the list.


?5 ENACTS that every item of the 'List of UN-protected Historical Sites' (see ?2) must not be destroyed or changed in substance, except for restoration or faithful reproduction above remains, if they maintain the originality and meaning of the item. Primarily the reason for being on the list (see ?2) must be conserved.


?6 ALLOWS member nations to diverge from ?5 in times of war, if a opposing belligerent has taken position within or near an item on the 'List of UN-protected Historical Sites' (see ?2) and maintaining the item would be of strategic disadvantage, as long as they minimize damage to the item as far as possible. Any damage will be reviewed by UNCPH after the conflict has ended and possible sanctions will be determined.


?7 RECOMMENDS member nations to maintain other national historical sites as well in order to keep the memory of regional and supraregional history alive.


Authored by Damned PoPer

Unnecessary Animal Cruelty

A resolution to restrict civil freedoms in the interest of moral decency.

Category: Moral Decency

Strength: Significant

Proposed by: Old Argentina

Description: The United Nations,

Recognizing the cruelty and inhumane treatment to which a great number of animals are continuously and unnecessarily subject to;

Acknowledging animals? basic freedom from needless torture and abuse;

Horrified by the widespread practice of so-called ?blood sports?, such as bullfighting or dog fighting, in a legal manner;

Disgusted at how certain individuals and organizations make an economic profit from the affliction, agony, and death of animals as a public spectacle,

Not considering cultural significance as a valid argument defending the torture of animals for the purpose of entertainment or recreation, and;

In an attempt to eradicate the dispensable suffering of other living beings;

1. Defines, for the purpose of this resolution:
a) The term ''animal'' as every non-sapient, non-botanical living being except fungi and microorganisms.
b) The term ''legal biomedical research'' as the scientific tests, experiments, or investigations conducted by any individual, institution or organization which has been given permission to perform such activities by competent authorities in accordance with standing UN legislation.
c) The term ''proper shelter'' as (i) area with sufficient space to allow the animal to easily stand, sit, lie, turn about, and make all other normal body movements in a comfortable, normal position for the animal and (ii) dwelling place which is safe and protects the animal from injury, physical suffering, and impairment of health.
d) The term ''proper veterinary care'' as any veterinary treatment needed to prevent suffering or impairment of health.

2. Mandates that:
a) The following shall be strictly prohibited:
- Torturing, cruelly beating, overdriving, overloading, causing substantial bodily harm or tormenting any animal.
- Maliciously, deliberately or recklessly injuring, wounding, poisoning, maiming, disfiguring, mutilating or killing any animal.
- Knowingly and willfully depriving any animal of necessary sustenance, food or drink.
- Force-feeding any animal by any method.
- Willfully depriving any animal of proper shelter or proper veterinary care.
- Knowingly and willfully causing or procuring any of the aforementioned.

b) All public or social activities displaying, exhibiting or involving the substantial bodily suffering of, the intentional infliction of significant physical pain on or the death of any animal shall be prevented and banned.

c) The following shall be exempted from all the above clauses:
- Activities conducted for the primary purpose of and strictly required for providing food for human or animal consumption.
- Activities conducted for purposes of legal biomedical research.
- Professional veterinary practices performed in the interests of an animal's health or welfare.
- The destruction of any animal for the purposes of protecting the public, other animals, property, or the public health.
- The humane destruction of an animal accomplished by a method that involves instantaneous unconsciousness and immediate death.

d) All forms of organized animal combat, where participating animals are forced, instigated or in any way encouraged to fight between each other, shall be prevented and banned.

3. Urges members to increase the awareness of animal cruelty and continue to instill respect for animals through education, and;

4. Further encourages the adoption of policies and regulations to preserve the basic dignity of all animals.

Yes, all of the news in Cachette de Lions, and international news from a Cachettian perspective. Click here to visit.

Repeal "The Right to Form Unions"

A proposal to repeal a previously passed resolution

Category: Repeal

Resolution: #149

Proposed by: Cristia Agape

Description: UN Resolution #149: The Right to Form Unions (Category: Human Rights; Strength: Significant) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: The United Nations,

ADMIRING the intentions of the original resolution as honorable and defensible;

ACKNOWLEDGING the importance of Unions in certain economic and governmental structures;

NOTING that the benefits of a union can only be truly realized in a society where workers have the option to contractually surrender their union rights;

NOTING the tendency of natural regulation that occurs in capitalist markets to ensure Unions are preserved;

NOTING the absence of necessity for Unions in controlled markets (given the nature of a government run by the workers);

CONCERNED with the restrictions an overarching, international protection of Unions places on some forms of government;

CONCERNED with certain practical errors present in the resolution;


OBSERVING ideological shortcomings of the resolution, namely that it:

-undermines some forms of government, such as socialism and communism, that do not operate under a free-market system.

-undermines many forms of economic policy, such as a strictly free-market system, by mandating government intervention via requiring arbitration and enforcement to be supplied.

-undermines individual governments by prohibiting said governments from temporarily suspending Union rights, regardless of natural disaster, medical emergency or war.

-undermines and cripples start-up small businesses by allowing employees of any size business to Unionize and strike, regardless of their motivation or contractual obligations; and additionally undermines small businesses by removing the ability to avoid (as a method of self-preservation) hiring employees with such rights by guaranteeing these rights to all members of the workforce.

-undermines the privacy of employer-employee negotiations by publicly mandating certain unavoidable contract laws; and that the resolution provides no method for employers to guarantee employees will not fully invoke these rights with no provocation, regardless of the need for such a guarantee.

-undermines employers in free-market systems, by allowing the employee a perfectly legal route to indefinitely preserve their job, regardless of any reason, no matter how viable (including information dissemination and violation of business practicum), for their dismissal from their place of work.


AND OBSERVING practical shortcomings of the resolution, namely that it:

-fails to even define 'Union', effectively enabling any single individual to possess the rights "reserved" to a fully operable Union, or allowing a nation to set such strict requirements on the definition as to prevent a Union from actually existing.

-fails to give recourse to the possibility of failed 'independent arbitration', effectively giving every Union, regardless of industry (including military and medical) the ability to strike, regardless of the harm to the public good.

-fails to differentiate different groups of employees and associates, effectively preserving the right of every group - including CEOs and owners - to Unionize, creating an atmosphere of warring Unions between levels rather than open dialogue between associates.

-is self-contradictory in Clause #8 by giving no hierarchy; effectively, there is no line drawn between what laws restrict Union activity and what laws Unions must abide by, guaranteeing massive legal battles to determine these lines.


Hereby REPEALS U.N. resolution #149, 'The Right to Form Unions'.

Repeal "Protect Historical Sites"

A proposal to repeal a previously passed resolution


Category: Repeal

Resolution: #15

Proposed by: Jey

Description: UN Resolution #15: Protect Historical Sites (Category: Environmental; Industry Affected: All Businesses) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: The General Assembly of the United Nations,

COMMENDING Resolution #15: "Protect Historical Sites," for its intent to safeguard historically significant locations within member nations;

HOWEVER NOTING that Resolution #15 wholly lacks any apparent methods for which to protect the historical sites referenced to within the resolution text, only saying "we cannot let historical sites go to waste;"

FURTHER NOTING that Resolution #15, at no point within the resolution text, defines what constitutes a "historical site" that is worthy of protection, thus leading to confusion and misunderstandings among member nations;

CONCLUDING that Resolution #15 is an insufficient and ineffectual resolution, given that it lacks any form of implementation of its admirable intent;

REPEALS Resolution #15: "Protect Historical Sites."

For the Benefit of Artists

A resolution to promote funding and the development of education and the arts.

Category: Education and Creativity

Area of Effect: Artistic

Proposed by: Rotten Guava

Description: Asserting that the United Nations has a responsibility to promote both international understanding and the global advancement of civilisation,

Believing that of the factors which define a nation, its cultural achievements are the most lasting and most purely beneficial of all contributions to the world and to itself,

Recognising the importance of certain individuals in the enrichment of national culture and the advancement of global civilisation,

Noting the difficulty of making intellectual contributions in modern society,

Resolving that each member nation be encouraged to establish a fund for the explicit purpose of supporting individuals deemed by the government "culturally vital citizens":

1) Urging that nations evaluate the cultural accomplishments and/or the potential for advancement the advancement of the arts in its citizens and designating the most promising "culturally vital citizens";

2) Further urging nations to establish a moderate fund for the purposes of:
-supporting "culturally vital citizens" to allow them to dedicate as much time as necessary to his or her art
-allowing "culturally vital citizens" the ability to travel to foreign nations for the purpose of education and the promotion of an international intellectual community

3) Emphasising that this resolution shall not be used to:
-control or in any other way influence the work of designated "culturally vital citizens"
-establish an intellectual elite separate or discrete from citizens of any other calling
-spy on other countries
-promote the work of any individual over another's

4) Recognising as areas in which lasting cultural achievements often flourishes:
-the visual arts, i.e. painting, sculpture, film, photography, architecture, etc.
-written word, i.e. poetry, prose literature, journalism, etc.
-music
-philosophy