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.

Votes For: 9,727
Votes Against: 2,459

Implemented: Sun Mar 12 2006

Description: 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.

Votes For: 9,546
Votes Against: 3,005

Implemented: Wed Mar 22 2006

Description: 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. UN member nations shall not:
(1) Directly or indirectly transfer control or ownership of nuclear weapons to or from any nation.
(2) Assist or induce any nation to manufacture or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons or control over such weapons.
(3) Seek or receive any assistance in the manufacture of nuclear weapons, other than for the purpose of improving the safety of the weapon.

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.

Votes For: 6,128
Votes Against: 5,830

Implemented: Mon Mar 27 2006

Description: The United Nations,

DESIRING to reduce unnecessary loss of life on the seas,

BELIEVING that minimum safety standards and international harmonisation is required to prevent unnecessary deaths,

1. DEFINES 'distress', for the purposes of this document, as a situation that poses an imminent threat to the lives of the crew and passengers travelling on a vessel,

2. MANDATES that any master of a vessel within fifty nautical miles of a vessel known to be in distress assist the vessel in distress, except when another vessel that is able to assist is known to be closer to the incident, or when the master of a vessel believes that attending to the incident may endanger the safety of his own vessel or violate the neutrality of the ship in which the vessel is registered,

3. MANDATES that failure to provide assistance under the conditions of the previous clause shall be considered a dereliction of duty by the master of said vessel and that upon determination of the full facts of the matter, he shall be disciplined according to the rules of his home nation, with regards to stipulated offence,

4. FOUNDS the UN Standards Essential for All Watch Officers Responsible for Transportation, Harbourmasters, and Yachtsmen (UNSEAWORTHY),

5. MANDATES that all masters and officers of the watch of vessels over 4,000 long tons operating in international waters be certified by the nation in which the vessel aboard which they serve is registered; minimum standards for such certification to be established by the UNSEAWORTHY,

6. AUTHORISES the UNSEAWORTHY to produce information pertaining internationally recognised maritime distress signals that will encompass all possible scenario’s in which a ship may be in distress, and to ensure that the information be required in the minimum standards of certification as outlined in article 5, including but not limited to:
a) The spoken word MAYDAY, repeated where possible, transmitted via radiotelegraphic equipment;
b) Signalling SOS in Morse code by any method;

7. MANDATES that the location of newly sunken vessels that may pose a threat to shipping be made available to all relevant oceanic mapping institutes,

8. MANDATES that all ships over 4,000 long tons carry sufficient lifeboats for passengers and crew, and that all passenger vessels carry buoyancy aids for all passengers and crew to be issued in cases of emergency,

9. DESIGNATES that vessels over 4,000 long tons carry radiotelegraphic equipment or wireless communications devices,

10. MANDATES that the crew of passenger ships undergo training in overseeing the abandoning of ships in distress, and other emergency situations,

11. DEFINES a 'hospital ship' as a vessel designated to transport the wounded,

12. STRONGLY URGES that hospital ships during a time of war be painted a white livery, with highly visible appropriate internationally-recognised markings, large enough and of a colour to be clearly visible against the white livery, be displayed on both sides of the hull, on the funnels (if any), and on the forecastle and poop decks; details of such markings are to be produced by the UNSEAWORTHY and included in all masters and officer of the watch certification as outlined in 5..

13. FORBIDS the use of such markings on any ships other then hospital ships, and forbids hospital ships from carrying offensive weapons or munitions,

14. FORBIDS attacks on designated hospital ships, whose status as such has been made clear

Votes For: 8,948
Votes Against: 2,540

Implemented: Fri Mar 31 2006