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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The United Nations
COGNIZANT of the extraneous hazards and risks inherent in the use of biological weaponry;
RECOGNIZING the unpredictable and indiscriminate nature of such weaponry and the inherent risks that they pose to combatants and non-combatants alike;
REALIZES that the proliferation of biological weaponry will lead to an increasing threat to international peace and security;
DECIDES that banning the use of biological weaponry will be more effective at protecting national and international peace than allowing them will;
Therefore
1-DEFINES Biological Agent as any infectious microorganism that is capable of producing lethal or debilitating disease and that has reasonable potential for military application;
2-DEFINES Biological Weapon to be a weapon system or component thereof that is specifically designed for the purpose of delivery or dispersal of a biological agent or agents;
3-DECLARES that such weapons and agents are unnecessary for the defense of a nation, and carry too much risk of collateral damage to be effectively utilized in any capacity;
4-MANDATES that member nations shall not develop, acquire, or possess, such weapons and agents; nor shall member nations assist other nations, organizations, or individuals, in the development, acquisition, or deployment of such weapons and agents, except as provided in Article 7 below;
5-OBLIGES member nations to prohibit and take active steps to prevent non-state entities operating within their jurisdictions from development, acquisition, possession, trafficking or deployment of such weapons and agents;
6-REQUIRES that all such agents currently possessed by member nations for weapon use, whether stockpiled or currently in weapons, be diverted to peaceful purposes, or destroyed, through sterilization or other forms of neutralization, with all reasonable haste, and using the safest possible procedures;
7-PERMITS member nations to research, individually or collectively, such biological agents for peaceful purposes, including, but not limited to, the creation of vaccinations and treatments, the production and testing of decontamination measures, the production of medical countermeasure materials, or other strictly peaceful purposes, provided that appropriate and effective measures are taken with regard to safety and security;
8-ENCOURAGES member nations to engage in diplomatic discussion with non-member nations with the aim of reducing any biological weapons stockpiles outside the remit of this ban;
Passed: |
For: | 7,556 | 71.3% |
Against: | 3,045 | 28.7% |
Historical Resolution #205
Repeal: “UN Patent Law”
A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation.
Historical Resolution #156 “UN Patent Law” (Category: Free Trade; Strength: Significant) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.
RECOGNISING the desirability of harmonising international patent regulations; however,
CONVINCED that the harm of a patent should not be greater than the corresponding public benefit; and,
CONCERNED by the failure of the UN Patent Law to provide exceptions for vitally important items, such as lifesaving medicines, which has caused lives to be lost due to the unaffordability of patented medicines and the constraining of UN member nations from independently carrying out the production of such medicines; and,
BELIEVING that the international patent system contains inherent flaws, that it poses impediments to the welfare of the people of the world and to economic efficiency, that other incentive systems besides monopoly profits are possible, and hence that it should not be uncompromisingly enforced upon the world;
NOW THEREFORE, the United Nations, in council assembled,
ABOLISHES the United Nations Patent Registry; and,
REPEALS Resolution 156, "UN Patent Law".
Passed: |
For: | 6,336 | 57.6% |
Against: | 4,660 | 42.4% |
Historical Resolution #206
Repeal: “Sexual Freedom”
A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation.
Historical Resolution #7 “Sexual Freedom” (Category: Civil Rights; Strength: Strong) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.
The United Nations,
ASSERTING that the citizens of member nations have the right to sexual privacy as declared in Resolution #7 Sexual Freedom,
NOTING the passage of Resolution #192 Sexual Privacy Act,
OBSERVING the indefiniteness of the phrase except for medical reasons used in Sexual Freedom, as opposed to the detail given in Sexual Privacy Act,
CONSIDERING that Sexual Freedom lacks an exception for criminal or civil investigative activity, while Sexual Privacy Act contains this reasonable and necessary exception,
WORRIED that the accurate definitions and additional exception in Sexual Privacy Act are useless with the continued presence of Sexual Freedom and its uncertain and subjective phrasing, and will remain so until Sexual Freedom is fully rendered null and void;
CONVINCED that Sexual Freedom is no longer necessary, as Sexual Privacy Act guarantees both sexual freedom and privacy,
INTENDING to streamline the operations of the United Nations by eliminating resolutions that are extraneous and hinder those that better serve the aims of this organization;
REPEALS Resolution #7 "Sexual Freedom"
Passed: |
For: | 8,611 | 81.3% |
Against: | 1,980 | 18.7% |
Historical Resolution #207
Cultural Heritage in War
A resolution to promote funding and the development of education and the arts.
Category: Education and Creativity
Area of Effect: Cultural Heritage
The United Nations,
Believing that notable articles of cultural heritage constitute a legacy for all people,
Noting the heightened risk to such articles during armed conflict,
Convinced that the preservation of cultural heritage for all is a goal both worthy of and requiring international action and agreement,
Equally not wishing to unduly infringe upon the sovereign territory and right to self-defence of its member nations:
1. Defines, for the purposes of this resolution, "cultural heritage" as:
- articles of great cultural value, and especially those bearing archaeological, artistic, historical or religious significance;
- areas and buildings primarily used for the storage and display of such items, such as galleries, libraries and museums;
- sites officially recognised as being used solely for archaeological excavation;
- any other articles agreed on by parties to the armed conflict as protected cultural property, or designated as such in international law;
2. Declares that this resolution shall be considered to apply in times of armed conflict, which shall include:
- armed conflict between two or more state parties;
- civil war recognised as such by both internal and external parties;
- armed insurrection or civil disturbance leading to a declaration of a state of emergency;
3. Requires member nations to refrain from, and prevent to the best abilities their forces and the civilian populations of areas under their control from engaging in:
- the deliberate and targeted destruction or damage of cultural heritage, except where such articles are being used for military purposes by opposing forces, or where damage to such articles is unavoidable, or necessary for the preservation of military or civilian life;
- the desecration, vandalism, theft or taking as reparations of cultural heritage;
- the use of sites of cultural heritage for any military purposes, excepting the treatment of casualties;
4. Condemns all acts in contravention of this resolution and calls upon member nations to investigate, try, and where found guilty punish those involved in such acts.
Passed: |
For: | 8,184 | 70.3% |
Against: | 3,450 | 29.7% |
Historical Resolution #208
Maritime Neutrality Covention
A resolution to restrict political freedoms in the interest of law and order.
The United Nations,
REALISING that merchant shipping is considered a legitimate target in warfare,
BELIEVING, however, that unrestricted attacks on merchant shipping, particularly neutral shipping or within neutral waters, can lead to international repercussions or otherwise hazard non-belligerent shipping and civilians,
NOTING that belligerent warships may require the use of neutral ports for repairs and maintenance,
The UN hereby,
1) a)DEFINES neutral shipping as merchant vessels registered in non-belligerent nations during a time of war;
b) FURTHER DEFINES "merchant vessels" as non-offensively armed/unarmed vessels carrying cargo or passengers,
2) DEFINES national waters, for the purposes of this document, as the seas or ocean within the 12 nautical miles adjoining a national coastline; where a body of water is less then 25 nautical miles wide, a one nautical mile channel equidistant from the coastlines is to be considered as international waters,
3) DEFINES a warship as an offensively armed vessel, be it surface vessel or submarine, operating under the authority of a national government or international alliance;
4) PROHIBITS a warship, except in the case of persistent refusal to stop on being duly summoned, or of active resistance to visit or search, from intentionally sinking or rendering incapable of navigation a merchant vessel, be it belligerent or neutral, without having first placed passengers, crew and ship's papers in a place of safety. For this purpose the ship's boats are not regarded as a place of safety,
5) DECLARES all merchant shipping, be it neutral or belligerent, within the national waters of a neutral nation to be inviolable,
6) PROHIBITS attacks on neutral shipping, except in the following circumstances:
a) When neutral shipping is within the national waters of an enemy nation;
b) When there is reasonable cause to suspect that the neutral ship is proceeding to an enemy port;
c) When there is reasonable cause to suspect that a merchant ship or warship of an enemy nation is displaying the ensign of a neutral mercantile marine or naval force.
7) PROHIBITS belligerent warships from entering the national waters of a neutral nation under threat of internment, except in cases of extremely inclement weather, or when entering a neutral port in order to undergo repairs urgent for seaworthiness, in which case the following must be adhered to:
a) A team of nautical experts from the neutral nation are to assess the damage to the ship and estimate the maximum time required to repair the ship;
b) No repairs are to be made that will in anyway increase the fighting efficiency of the warship. This includes, but is not limited too, repairs the weaponry, re-armament, radar, sonar and asdic equipment. Only repairs to ensure seaworthiness are permitted;
c) A belligerent warship may not leave a neutral port until twenty-four hours after the departure of a merchant ship of an adversary;
d) Should a warship be discovered not to require any repairs, overstay the time period set for repairs, or be in neutral waters without good cause, the warship and its complement are to be interned;
e) Should prisoners of war be present on the warship when it docks in the neutral port, the prisoners of war are to be handed over to the neutral government and interned. Such internees are not to be considered prisoners of war, however they will be entitled to the rights entitled to prisoners of war.
Passed: |
For: | 6,547 | 63.7% |
Against: | 3,727 | 36.3% |