The World Assembly

Legacy General Assembly Resolution #169 “Social Assistance Accord” (Category: Social Justice; Strength: Significant) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

The World Assembly,

ACKNOWLEDGES that individuals in need may be deserving of assistance;

HOWEVER, REGRETS that the 'Social Assistance Accord' overreaches on the number of policies it tries to regulate, and that the lack of detail may lead to situations that are clearly unfair:

1. The 'Social Assistance Accord' does not permit Member States to make temporary welfare benefits conditional on reasonable obligations, such as having to actively look for a job. This is unfair to welfare recipients who have been actively seeking opportunities to work, and undermines the general intent behind welfare limitations: to reject 'free-riders';

2. The 'Social Assistance Accord' mandates that individuals be granted 10 weeks paid paternal leave whenever they adopt a child, regardless of parenthood or the child's age;

3. The 'Social Assistance Accord' does not specify whether parental leave must be granted to the father, the mother or both, nor does it grant the power to decide on that issue to Member States;

REALISES that World Assembly resolutions are legally binding and not merely aspirational, and that some of the mandates of the 'Social Assistance Accord' may not be affordable:

1. Poor and developing nations, regardless of their good intentions, may be unable to provide benefits that cover water, nourishment, housing, and utilities to all idle individuals within their borders and their dependants;

2. A right to "immediate access" to all information regarding benefits is equally impractical in remote or isolated areas;

REPEALS the 'Social Assistance Accord'.

Co-author: Unibot ii

The World Assembly,

BELIEVES that individuals should have the right to petition without fear of reprisal;

DEFINES a petition as: a written observation, suggestion, request, criticism or complaint that relates to an issue of public or private interest;

RESOLVES that citizens and residents of World Assembly Member States, acting alone or as part of a group, have the right to send petitions to officials and institutions that claim jurisdiction over their person, and extends this right equally to companies, organisations and associations that have their headquarters in a World Assembly Member State;

BANS Member States from enacting punishment or reprisals against anyone for making use of their right to petition.

OBLIGES officials and institutions to pass petitions that do not fall within their field of activity on to a more appropriate or competent official or government institution, whenever possible;

The General Assembly,

RE-AFFIRMING its belief that there exist various human rights, including those to shelter, food, and education,

ACKNOWLEDGING that many achieve the means to enjoy those rights through work and employment,

SADDENED by the reality that there often exists the unreconcilable impediment to work and employment that is disability,

BELIEVING that this threatens the ability for some to achieve their aforementioned rights,

CONVINCED that nations should help those who are at a disadvantage due to a disability,

Hereby

DEFINES, for the purposes of this resolution, a disability as an arduous, constant and debilitating physical or mental affliction which renders one incapable and ineffectual in terms of work and employment;

DIRECTS nations to create a system, or systems, of welfare to assist those who are disabled;

DEMANDS that those who have been rendered disabled, as defined by this resolution, be granted adequate benefit(s) from or by the aforementioned system(s) which equate to, at the least, the minimum amount required to attain the same level of well-being and dignity a working, able person would otherwise be entitled to enjoy;

REQUIRES nations to, when determining what constitutes adequate benefits based on the above, take into account the average cost of day-to-day expenses including, but not limited to, food, shelter, healthcare for the disabled, and education;

RECOMMENDS that nations, unless already achieved, build on their system(s) of welfare to include in its remit those who in need yet are not disabled;

ENCOURAGES nations to put in place systems whereby those who have a disability but could work, providing the correct infrastructure and/or assistance is in place, are given the opportunity to do so.