Historical Resolutions
From the rise of civilization (November 13, 2002) up until a particularly brutal collision with reality (April 1, 2008), nations toiled under the banner of the World Assembly's predecessor, an organization that now Cannot Be Named, but sounded a lot like "United Stations." Although this grand institution is no longer, its incomparable volume of law shall stand forever.
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Historical Resolution #146
Workplace Safety Act
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.
NOTING the absence of UN legislation guaranteeing the safety of employees while in the workplace;
RESOLVED to establish a common standard of workplace safety in all UN nations;
BELIEVING that employees have the right to safe working conditions while at the workplace and that employers have a responsibility to provide a healthy and safe work environment;
DEFINING, for the purposes of this resolution:
- person as one or more individuals, partnerships, associations, corporations, business trusts, legal representatives, or any organized group of persons
- an employee as an individual who performs certain tasks for another person in return for financial or other compensation
- a workplace as any site at which the tasks employees are engaged to perform are carried out
- an employer as a person or persons engaging employees to perform certain tasks, excluding the law enforcement and military bodies of UN member nations;
the United Nations hereby,
ENACTS the following:
(1)Each employer shall make every reasonable effort to furnish a place of employment which is free from hazards that could cause death or serious physical harm to his employees and inform employees as fully as possible of potential hazards.
(2)Workplaces must be maintained in such a condition that employees will not be exposed to excessive danger.
(3)Every employer must ensure that regular inspections are made of all workplaces and work methods and practices, at intervals that will prevent the development of unsafe working conditions.
(4)Employers shall, where applicable, inform employees of any Personal Protective Equipment required. The minimum standard of PPE is that which will prevent injury or harm to the employee considering all known or anticipated hazards within the specific workplace. All employees must provide or be provided with, and be required to use, the minimum standard of PPE. Employers shall also provide formal training in the use of PPE and in safe operational procedures for all employees, plus updates whenever significant new procedures are introduced.
(5)The employer must ensure that each tool, machine and piece of equipment in the workplace is capable of safely performing the functions for which it is used and operated.
(6)Employers shall ensure that each employee complies with all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to this Act which are applicable to the employee's own actions and conduct.
(7)Employers must not knowingly permit employees to enter or remain at the workplace while the employee's ability to work safely is so notably impaired as to endanger the employee and/or anyone else, or diminish their ability to operate machinery safely.
(8)Employers shall ensure that employees do not engage in any inappropriate activity or behavior at a workplace that might create or constitute a hazard to themselves or to any other person.
(9)All UN member nations are encouraged to enact workplace safety legislation at the national level that would further expand on the concepts embodied within this act. Nothing in this legislation shall be taken as forcing or inducing nations to lower existing national standards of workplace safety.
(10)Each UN member nation shall ensure that within it there exist one or more adequately funded governmental bodies that can inspect work sites and ensure compliance with this act throughout its territory.
Co-Authored by UNOG
Passed: |
For: | 9,792 | 66.4% |
Against: | 4,965 | 33.6% |
Historical Resolution #147
Abortion Legality Convention
A resolution to restrict civil freedoms in the interest of moral decency.
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
Passed: |
For: | 8,993 | 71.0% |
Against: | 3,673 | 29.0% |
Historical Resolution #148
Meteorological Cooperation
A resolution to reduce barriers to free trade and commerce.
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.
Passed: |
For: | 9,727 | 79.8% |
Against: | 2,459 | 20.2% |
Historical Resolution #149
The Right to Form Unions
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.
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.
Passed: | |
For: | 7,577 | 58.4% |
Against: | 5,394 | 41.6% |
Historical Resolution #150
UN Demining Survey
A resolution to improve world security by boosting police and military budgets.
The United Nations,
CONDEMNING avoidable civilian casualties,
COMMENDING previous law protecting civilians during and after military conflicts,
CONCERNED that landmines constitute a significant threat to civilians,
LAMENTING that this problem has not been adequately addressed,
DEFINING for the purposes of this resolution
- "landmine" as a self-contained explosive device, placed on or under the ground, triggered by a person, tank, other vehicle, timer mechanism, or otherwise, with the intent to deter or disable force movements,
- "minefield" as any area in which landmines are located, or believed to be located,
- "demining" as the process of safely disabling, detonating, or removing landmines, rendering them non-hazardous:
1. DECLARES the duty of member nations to reduce and, where possible, prevent civilian casualties in minefields;
2. INSTRUCTS member nations to conduct surveys determining the location and status of all minefields within their territory;
3. RECOMMENDS that member nations take all appropriate actions to prevent civilian casualties in minefields, including:
- clear marking of minefields on maps,
- posting of clearly visible signs around minefields, using warnings in all appropriate languages,
- international cooperation in raising awareness of the location of minefields,
- advising and educating citizens on methods for avoiding casualties in minefields;
4. ADVISES member nations that responsible demining is the most effective way of reducing minefield casualties;
5. ESTABLISHES the UN Demining Survey (UNDS), mandated to:
- conduct and aid demining operations, where requested under Article 8,
- research demining technology, landmine types less likely to constitute a lasting danger to civilians, and alternatives to landmine use,
- collaborate with national and international demining agencies,
- instruct civilians on landmine safety and treatment of landmine-related injuries,
- further promote landmine safety awareness through educational and informational campaigns;
6. URGES member nations to contribute staff, expertise, information, and funding to the UNDS;
7. MANDATES that the UNDS be respectful of territorial sovereignty of member states, and that no UNDS agent enter the territory of member nations without their explicit consent;
8. ESTABLISHES that:
- member nations may request UNDS assistance in demining minefields located solely within their jurisdiction,
- for minefields located within the jurisdiction of two or more nations, UNDS demining may be requested solely for parts of the minefield under jurisdiction of requesting nations,
- requesting nations may bar specific individuals from entering their territory to undertake UNDS operations,
- requesting nations must provide UNDS agents all available information on the location of landmines, and the UNDS may refuse involvement if risks to its personnel are deemed excessive,
- storage and disposal of removed landmines and fragments is the responsibility of requesting nations, and the UNDS may refuse involvement if the requesting nation is deemed incompetent to perform such tasks.
Passed: |
For: | 9,546 | 76.1% |
Against: | 3,005 | 23.9% |