General Assembly Proposals

Whereas, given the heinous nature of crimes against humanity and other similar acts, member nations should cooperate with each other to bring those responsible to justice; and

Whereas such cooperation is effectively promoted by facilitating comity between member nations in dealing with heinous crimes;

The World Assembly enacts as follows, subject to past World Assembly law still in force.

1. For the purposes of this resolution, a "heinous crime" means an act which World Assembly law explicitly or implicitly designates as a war crime, a crime against peace, or a crime against humanity, regardless of what jurisdiction takes up a case regarding that act.

2. Where an individual charged or convicted for a heinous crime in a World Assembly member nation remains under the jurisdiction of another member nation, the latter member nation must make a bona fide review to determine whether to extend comity over the case, if such comity is not already extended or to be extended. Such a review must be presided over by a court or other tribunal.

   1. In such a review, the tribunal must consider, at minimum, (i) any past trials of said individual for the heinous crime in question; (ii) the likelihood that the individual is guilty of the heinous crime; (iii) any state or public interests against or in favour of extending comity; and (iv) the nature of the relevant charges or conviction against the individual.

   2. The World Assembly Judiciary Committee may, with the consent of the reviewing member nation, supply judicial officials to participate in the tribunal or proceedings thereof.

3. Comity may be extended either through the resumption or commencement of judicial proceedings against the individual in question for the relevant heinous crime; or through the extradition of the individual in question to the member nation which has charged or convicted the individual in question for said heinous crime.

   1. No member nation or entity therein may wilfully obstruct the transportation of an individual between member nation jurisdictions for the purposes of such extradition.

   2. The enforcement of a judicial sentence shall be considered a form of judicial proceedings in this resolution.

4. The International Enforcement Commission, or IEC, is established. Where a member nation has elected to extend comity via extradition under Section 3, the IEC may supply armed defensive support, in the form of law enforcement officers and with the consent of the extraditing member nation, to facilitate the delivery of the extradited individual to the relevant member nation's jurisdiction. IEC officers acting per this mandate may use armed force only as necessary to ensure that the individual is safely delivered to the relevant member nation. The World Assembly shall reserve the power to, by resolution, expand the authority of the IEC to carry out additional law enforcement actions.

The World Assembly (WA),

Noting previous efforts to safeguard international investments and free trade;

Seeing the need to protect securities investors through minimum levels of governance and disclosure standards;

Hereby defines:

1. "Director(s)" to mean members of the board of directors or similar bodies (such as boards of supervisors) in charge of the affairs of an issuer, and references to "boards" shall also include such similar bodies;

2. "Exchange(s)" to mean venue(s) for trading securities, and subject to:

   1. due regulation by a competent regulator of, and operating within the jurisdiction of, a WA state; and

   2. with securities listed on it open to investing by investors;

3. "Issuer(s)" to mean the issuer(s) of securities, which must be a legal person deemed as duly incorporated by the WA state where the exchange is;

4. "Investor(s)" mean those who purchase such securities, notwithstanding any accreditation requirements that may be imposed on such investors;

5. "Officer(s)" to mean the chief executive and other senior officers of the issuer, as designated by the board;

6. "Securities" to include all shares, bonds, notes, units, funds, partnership interests, and other similar instruments traded on an exchange and issued by an issuer;

7. "WA state" to mean an individual member state of the WA;

Hereby requires all WA states that permit the operation of an exchange to designate a competent regulator ("regulator") to regulate the following:

1. Minimum levels of participation in the management of the issuer including:

   1. the appointment and removal of directors, and qualification requirements, if any;

   2. the appointment of director(s) unrelated to (i) individuals (and/or legal entities) that have a substantial interest in the securities of the issuer and/or (ii) officers of the issuer, in order to represent the interests of investors unrelated to the aforesaid individuals (and/or legal entities);

   3. requirements on approvals by duly entitled investors in the securities that are independent of any transactions with actual and/or potential material conflict(s) of interest between the issuer(s) and other investors in the issuer;

   4. requirements for an issuer to maintain regular, meaningful communications channels between investors and officers on matters affecting the issuer;

   5. such other related matters as deemed appropriate by the regulator; and

   6. any quorum requirements and the eligibility of investors in voting on sub-clauses (a) to (e) above;

2. Minimum levels of disclosure on the governance of the issuer including:

   1. all forms of remuneration paid to directors and officers, including a comparison with the compensation paid to the average employee of the issuer; and

   2. the qualifications and work experience of directors and officers;

   3. succession plans in case of the death and/or incapacity of the chief executive officer of the issuer (if such circumstances are applicable to that issuer);

   4. any relations (regardless of nature, such as business, family, or other material relations), if any, between substantial investors, directors and officers of the issuer, and between the issuer and its directors and officers;

   5. details on transactions in the securities of an issuer by the directors and officers;

   6. the responsibilities of each director and officer, and any instances where responsibilities overlap;

   7. availability, scope of coverage, costs and use of directors' and officers' liability insurance;

   8. procedures with regards to internal audit, whistleblowing, risk management and internal control measures;

   9. the issuer's policy with regards to diversity among the ranks of directors and officers in accordance with the demographics of the jurisdiction(s) relevant to the issuer;

   10. substantial litigation affecting the issuer, regardless of whether the issuer is a plaintiff or a defendant;

   11. details of any litigation filed by investors against the issuer for negligence or other similar matters;

   12. such other related matters as deemed appropriate by the regulator;

Hereby clarifies that:

1. all communications between the issuer and investors, including (but not limited to) for participations in clause 1 and disclosures in clause 2, must be made through the customary communications and participation channels of the exchange, which must be available free of charge to investors;

2. the regulator is responsible for the implementation and interpretation of this resolution.

The World Assembly,

Noting that some member states in the multiverse engage in industrial farming of chicks, ducklings, goslings and other species for consumption of their eggs and/or meat (hereafter, collectively for convenience, "chicks" for all newborn and younger members of such species);

Concerned that in industrial farming, chicks of a particular sex are frequently culled after birth for economic reasons through techniques that may be considered inhumane, such as maceration, cervical dislocation and asphyxiation, and that alternatives such as raising male chicks for egg-laying breeds to full grown size may not be economical against breeds of bigger cocks specifically grown for meat;

Noting that recent advances in technologies regarding low-cost in-ovo sexing (the determination of the sex of chicks inside the egg prior to hatching) in some member states allow eggs that are not viable commercially to be destroyed before hatching, thus substantially reducing concerns over the welfare of chicks;

1. Hereby requires any member state that engages in industrial farming of chicks that has gained access to in-ovo sexing technologies, or other more advanced technologies that reduce animal suffering, to:

   1. start adopting such technologies as soon as reasonably practicable after it gains access; and

   2. to phase out the use of post-hatching chick culling techniques (including, but not limited to, maceration, cervical dislocation, asphyxiation and other less humane culling techniques), in favour of in-ovo sexing technologies, or other more advanced technologies, as soon as reasonably practicable;

2. Further, hereby encourages:

   1. Any member state that has in-ovo sexing technologies or other more advanced technologies to license or transfer such technologies to other member states lacking such technologies on reasonable commercial terms;

   2. Any member state that has not yet gained access to such technologies to acquire or license such technologies, as soon as reasonably practicable;

   3. Further research by member states into new technologies that improve animal welfare in industrial farming;

3. Hereby clarifies that this resolution does not affect any culling of chicks on the grounds of affecting public health and hygiene.

The World Assembly,

Applauding prior action taken by this body to combat sexual offenses, crimes against children, and domestic abuse,

Concerned about the potential for victims of domestic abuse to be prosecuted either as accomplices or under theories of failure to protect others, without regard for the particular nature of such abuse which makes failure to protect near-impossible,

Desiring to add teeth to existing orders of protection and to facilitate the issuance of new orders, and

Committed to protecting victims and survivors of domestic abuse from future retaliation by their abusers,

Hereby enacts as follows:

1. Requirements for criminal prosecution.
   A person may not be convicted of an offense of enabling, or failing to protect a child or other vulnerable person from, physical violence, sexual abuse, or neglect, if the defendant:

   1. reasonably believed their own life or safety to be in danger as a result of the same person or persons who engaged in the underlying conduct the failure to protect from which constitutes the instant offense;

   2. was under the influence of any mind-altering substance not voluntarily consumed, and was therefore incapable of effectively protecting such child or other vulnerable person;

   3. was not actually present in the same location, and did not have a reasonable opportunity to become present, at a time when the defendant had a reasonable opportunity to protect such child or other vulnerable person; or

   4. was not physically able, due to restraint or confinement, or due to bodily condition, to render meaningful aid to the degree required to purge criminal liability in the absence of this clause.

2. Applicability of section 1.
   Section 1 applies retroactively, without regard to the stage of the criminal proceedings at the time of enactment of this resolution. Any person convicted of an offense of failing to protect a child or other vulnerable person from physical violence, sexual abuse, or neglect, where the conviction is subject to appeal or has become final at the time of enactment of this resolution, may petition the court having jurisdiction of the offense to reopen the case, and the court shall grant such petition on a showing that:

   1. the defendant intends to raise any point described in section 1; and

   2. given the facts of the case and the evidence known to the court, such a defense has a colorable claim and a reasonable possibility of success on the merits.

3. Mitigation.
   Where a person is convicted of a violent or sexual offense against a person who, at the relevant time, was a child, lineal or lateral descendant, spouse, civil partner, legal ward, or cohabitant of the defendant, and such conviction relied on any theory of criminal liability involving a person other than the defendant, the court shall permit the defendant, before sentencing, to offer evidence that:

   1. the defendant engaged in the criminal conduct as a result of the actual or threatened actions of such other person; and

   2. such actions, if actually carried out, would be expected to be worse or of a more serious character than the offense for which the defendant has been convicted.

4. Protective orders.
   Where a person is convicted in a member nation of a violent or sexual offense against a person who, at the relevant time, was a child, lineal or lateral descendant, spouse, civil partner, legal ward, or cohabitant of the defendant, the court may, in addition to any punishment imposed by virtue of the conviction, issue an order imposing such restrictions on the defendant as it deems necessary to ensure the victim's protection from the defendant or from any person associated with the defendant. The court shall presumptively issue such an order, unless of the belief that doing so would be manifestly unnecessary in light of all the circumstances. Such order shall be for a term sufficient (but not greater than necessary) to prevent further abuse, and the beneficiary of such order shall have a legally-recognized interest in its enforcement. In the event that the underlying conviction is set aside, the order shall be quashed.

5. Housing and benefits for victims.
   The victim of a violent or sexual offense shall, if a cohabitant of the defendant, be provided with housing separate from and independent of the defendant on request. In any such case, the victim shall not be liable to the defendant or an agent of the defendant for any fee arising from early termination of a lease, or any similar penalty. And no such victim shall lose any government-granted benefit granted to or by virtue of the convicted abuser.

General Assembly Resolution #86 “Museums of Musical Heritage” (Category: Education and Creativity; Area of Effect: Cultural Heritage) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Whereas the efforts to catalog music of local, national, and international importance set out by General Assembly Resolution #86, "Museums of Musical Heritage", have now been in place for over a decade,

And whereas the target has no binding clauses, only suggesting that nations and entities within nations contribute music,

And whereas having no mandates makes the resolution toothless, as any entity trying to destroy culture by prohibiting music can simply not allow the donation of relevant materials,

And whereas the resolution fails to properly address access to the musical museums themselves, instead suggesting the dissemination of the database, which falls short in the preservation of these heritage artifacts, which may still be readily withheld from public knowledge,

And whereas the manner in which the resolution attempts to accomplish its goals is largely inefficient, with the creation of two bureaucratic entities in order to accomplish its goals, wasting the precious resources this assembly has on a process that is largely unnecessary in order to truly preserve musical heritage, and that this inefficiency prevents further funding into other subject areas, including fundamental human rights and safety mandates,

And whereas any resolution that simultaneously does not accomplish its goals and prevents the World Assembly from achieving its more pertinent tasks does not deserve to stay on the books,

Therefore, be it resolved by the World Assembly that General Assembly Resolution #86, "Museums of Musical Heritage", is repealed.