[PASSED] A Ban on Forced Disappearances

[Unibot]

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Ban on Forced Disappearances
Category: The Furtherment of Democracy | Strength: Significant | Proposed by: Unibot

The General Assembly,

Appalled by governments that resort to enforcing disappearances, most commonly to deny individuals of their existing civil and political rights,

Defines a Forced Disappearance as a political tactic, where a government or government sponsored entity conceals the fate, or existence of an individual or a group of individuals who were required by said government to vanish from public view,

Hereby Solemnly:
1. Prohibits member nations, and the World Assembly from forcing the disappearance of any individual;

2. Requires the reversal of the political tactics used against victims of forced disappearance by …
(a) Releasing to the public all of the government documentation surrounding these cases of forced disappearances;
(b) Publicizing the whereabouts of these individuals, or the circumstances of their death;

3. Demands that there be no statute of limitation on forced disappearance;

4. Permits member states to protect the identities and whereabouts of an individual in a way that may bear characteristics of forced disappearances, provided that the intentions of this resolution are respected and that the said individual has given consent;

5. Declares that any organization of a member nation which utilizes the provisions of Clause 4 must be officially publicized to said member nation at least to the extent of the general purpose of the program or bureaucratic entity being publicly documented;

6. Requests that such public documentation must also include that the organization is utilizing Clause 4 of this document;

7. Welcoming the addition of further legislation on the subject by member states, such as providing reparations to victims of forced disappearances, or their families.

[Grays Harbor]

While we shall withhold judgement until the clauses are more fleshed out, we can state that this may well have sufficient import to be considered. Members of my staff have been tasked with exploring potential sections for this to submit.

[Unibot]

While we shall withhold judgement until the clauses are more fleshed out, we can state that this may well have sufficient import to be considered. Members of my staff have been tasked with exploring potential sections for this to submit.

Thank you, ambassador.

[Glen-Rhodes]

OOC:

Category: Human Rights/International Security

Human Rights wouldn't make sense. Better to stick with International Security.

Acknowledging the existence of 'unpersons' and those who have been erased from existence by using political tactics.

Newspeak? There are actual phrases for what you are describing: damnatio memoriae, forced disappearance, historical revisionism, etc.

Acknowledging that some countries do not have a resource to investigate those who go missing, or recovery services.

Declaring that member nations should make the effort to investigate the whereabouts of those who go missing.

Requiring that nations must fund a police program to investigate the whereabouts of missing people, and attempt to recover them.

Establish a WA Missing Persons Bureau to act as a cross bureau between member nations' police programs, to help coordinate investigation across international borders.

Are you writing a proposal about banning forced disappearance or requiring missing persons investigations?

Demanding the full publication of any government activities to hide the existence of any inhabitant (in the past).

Mandating that hiding the existence of any inhabitant by member nations is illegal.

Demanding that if the whereabouts of missing people is known by a member nation's government other than the missing person's nation of inhabitance, that their whereabouts must be reported to the WA Missing Persons Bureau by a governmental official.

What about witness protection programs?

[Charlotte Ryberg]

Hmm, this resolution has a good potential to succeed: Hiding the existence of a person should indeed be illegal, but I was also thinking about a recommendation for member states to cooperate with each other to find those who have gone missing for reasons such as non-government-sponsored kidnapping, or a person that has been found but never identified. Also, maybe consider a clause about catching criminals who intentionally go missing to escape justice.

These are just ideas submitted for consideration.

[Unibot]

OOC:

Category: Human Rights/International Security

Human Rights wouldn't make sense. Better to stick with International Security.

Acknowledging the existence of 'unpersons' and those who have been erased from existence by using political tactics.

Newspeak? There are actual phrases for what you are describing: damnatio memoriae, forced disappearance, historical revisionism, etc.

Acknowledging that some countries do not have a resource to investigate those who go missing, or recovery services.

Declaring that member nations should make the effort to investigate the whereabouts of those who go missing.

Requiring that nations must fund a police program to investigate the whereabouts of missing people, and attempt to recover them.

Establish a WA Missing Persons Bureau to act as a cross bureau between member nations' police programs, to help coordinate investigation across international borders.

Are you writing a proposal about banning forced disappearance or requiring missing persons investigations?

Demanding the full publication of any government activities to hide the existence of any inhabitant (in the past).

Mandating that hiding the existence of any inhabitant by member nations is illegal.

Demanding that if the whereabouts of missing people is known by a member nation's government other than the missing person's nation of inhabitance, that their whereabouts must be reported to the WA Missing Persons Bureau by a governmental official.

What about witness protection programs?

What? Do you have a problem with Newspeak? Comrade.
That was my inspiration for the resolution.

Anyway, I will keep it to International Security. As for your second question, I was thinking of targeting both forced disappearances, and requiring investigations of genuine missing persons . If this proves to be too much for one proposal, I will target forced disappearances in the first, and then genuine missing persons cases in the second. (That will probably be the route to take.)

As for your last comment, that is true, and I hadn't thought of that. However I can include a notice in the definition of missing to exclude members of witness protection programs.

[Sionis Prioratus]

You have got my full support, Dear Unibot. All there is got to be done is to lapidate this gemstone.

Yours,

[Flibbleites]

OOC:

Demanding the full publication of any government activities to hide the existence of any inhabitant (in the past).

Mandating that hiding the existence of any inhabitant by member nations is illegal.

Demanding that if the whereabouts of missing people is known by a member nation's government other than the missing person's nation of inhabitance, that their whereabouts must be reported to the WA Missing Persons Bureau by a governmental official.

What about witness protection programs?

Or disavowed spies?

[Glen-Rhodes]

OOC:

What? Do you have a problem with Newspeak? Comrade.
That was my inspiration for the resolution.

I think 'unperson' sounds silly and uneducated, which is what Newspeak is supposed to sound like. :\

As for your last comment, that is true, and I hadn't thought of that. However I can include a notice in the definition of missing to exclude members of witness protection programs.

And disavowed spies, like Flib points out. I see a lot of difficulties with writing this type of proposal in a way that keeps intelligence agencies happy.

By the way, I'll start replying in-character when the first draft comes out. In case you were wondering...

[Mad Sheep Railgun]

I like this, but you'll need to tread very carefully around the missing persons bit due to concerns already voiced about witness protection programs, spies, etc. In fact it might be best to leave missing persons for another proposal and just concentrate on banning forced disappearances. Have your resolution do one thing and do it well. Why don't you post a rough draft and we can go from there?

[Unibot]

OOC:

What? Do you have a problem with Newspeak? Comrade.
That was my inspiration for the resolution.

I think 'unperson' sounds silly and uneducated, which is what Newspeak is supposed to sound like. :\

As for your last comment, that is true, and I hadn't thought of that. However I can include a notice in the definition of missing to exclude members of witness protection programs.

And disavowed spies, like Flib points out. I see a lot of difficulties with writing this type of proposal in a way that keeps intelligence agencies happy.

By the way, I'll start replying in-character when the first draft comes out. In case you were wondering...

Spies is another good point, that reminds me how much I will have to devote my attention to the careful definition of "missing". I will prepare a rough draft of the forced disappearances act, shortly. As for "unperson", I will not be using it in the draft, but I do believe it gets the message across fairly quickly and effectively; most of us here are quite familiar with 1984, and I believe the word itself does a better job at explaining its meaning than "forced disappearance".

[Unibot]

A loud "poof" sound, and a small clash of purple smoke marked the materialization of Eduard Heir from thin air,

"Greetings ambassadors!" exclaimed Eduard, who immediately ran to a writing table with green ink and parchment.

Heir scribbled down a draft of the Convention on Forced Disappearance, laughing.

"The irony is I must forcefully disappear in a few moments, ambassadors, so please direct your comments to my current assistant.. whoever he is... enjoy" Eduard remarked before imploded into nothingness before having time to pause.

[Mad Sheep Railgun]

A loud "poof" sound, and a small clash of purple smoke marked the materialization of Eduard Heir from thin air,

"Greetings ambassadors!" exclaimed Eduard, who immediately ran to a writing table with green ink and parchment.

Heir scribbled down a draft of the Convention on Forced Disappearance, laughing.

"The irony is I must forcefully disappear in a few moments, ambassadors, so please direct your comments to my current assistant.. whoever he is... enjoy" Eduard remarked before imploded into nothingness before having time to pause.

What a strange character. How's he supposed to get anything done if he keeps appearing and disappearing like that?

[Unibot]

A loud "poof" sound, and a small clash of purple smoke marked the materialization of Eduard Heir from thin air,

"Greetings ambassadors!" exclaimed Eduard, who immediately ran to a writing table with green ink and parchment.

Heir scribbled down a draft of the Convention on Forced Disappearance, laughing.

"The irony is I must forcefully disappear in a few moments, ambassadors, so please direct your comments to my current assistant.. whoever he is... enjoy" Eduard remarked before imploded into nothingness before having time to pause.

What a strange character. How's he supposed to get anything done if he keeps appearing and disappearing like that?

The Unibot Assistant Ambassador, Dr. Pascal DeWaullae, turned around, addressing the ambassador.

Smoking a pipe -- the tweed wearing, gritty teethed, bespectacled goblin hobbled on a cane, and paused before pronouncing every syllable.

"Mr. Heir was extradimensionally connected to the fifth dimension at some point in an alternative dimension. He has spent approximately 6 minutes and 64 seconds in a random point in Space-Time indefinitely till his death which will be indeterminable to an individual limited to the fourth dimension. I've meant him at the age of 20, the age of 30, middle aged and elderly all within a few weeks, we have a 0.000000013436% chance of meeting him within every hour for atleast 7 minutes -- however there is no way to control how old or young he will be when he 'returns' to us. And yes, it is difficult to work for an employer who might remember you, or have no idea who you are... and rarely does he have any clue what time period he has arrived at. But no one can represent the diplomatic intentions, and consistency of Unibot like Mr. Heir ..our little time-traveling gift to the World Assembly."

[Tanaara]

OOC: This is going to make at least one daily issue problematical, or is that one standard nation description (the one where it speaks of people disappearing from their homes in the night )

[Unibot]

OOC: This is going to make at least one daily issue problematical, or is that one standard nation description (the one where it speaks of people disappearing from their homes in the night )

OOC: Sometimes people consider issues as a way of ignoring compliance, though there are others who dedicate themselves to comply to WA legislation through issues.

Is there a record for shortest WA proposal?
EDIT:

• Nuclear Arms Possession Act (Shortest Adopted GA Resolution [114])
  
• Commend Kandarin (Shortest Adopted Resolution Ever [78])

I don't think I can surpass those, short of not writing anything all, maybe if I cut the preamble down to one line (not altogether a bad suggestion).

[Unibot]

IC: Pascal raised his eyebrow, "Could the definition of Forced Disappearance erase the "EXCLUDING" clause by explain to the victim must be a willing participant. Or are there ethical examples of intelligence operatives or protected witnesses who are being forcefully disappeared against their own will?"

[Charlotte Ryberg]

Excludes the following individuals from being defined as forcefully disappeared…
(a) Participants of Witness Protection Programs
(b) Intelligence Operatives

Maybe you could try along the lines of "allowing for member states to protect the identities of ID theft victims, Participants of Witness or Victim Protection Programs and Intelligence Operatives in a way that may bear characteristics of forced disappearances, provided that the intents and purposes of this resolution are respected and that the said person has given consent". Then put that bit at the end of the resolution.

[Unibotian WASC Mission]

Excludes the following individuals from being defined as forcefully disappeared…
(a) Participants of Witness Protection Programs
(b) Intelligence Operatives

Maybe you could try along the lines of "allowing for member states to protect the identities of ID theft victims, Participants of Witness or Victim Protection Programs and Intelligence Operatives in a way that may bear characteristics of forced disappearances, provided that the intents and purposes of this resolution are respected and that the said person has given consent". Then put that bit at the end of the resolution.

Pascal raised his eyebrow, "hhmm.. yes, I don't mind the sounds of that."

[Unibot]

Excludes the following individuals from being defined as forcefully disappeared…
(a) Participants of Witness Protection Programs
(b) Intelligence Operatives

Maybe you could try along the lines of "allowing for member states to protect the identities of ID theft victims, Participants of Witness or Victim Protection Programs and Intelligence Operatives in a way that may bear characteristics of forced disappearances, provided that the intents and purposes of this resolution are respected and that the said person has given consent". Then put that bit at the end of the resolution.

Pascal paused, "But couldn't all of this be avoided, ambassador, by demanding in the definition that the person must not give their consent for the circumstances to be consider 'forced' disappearance."

[Serrland]

Defines a Forced Disappearance as a political tactic, where a government conceals the fate, or existence of an individual or a group of individuals who were required by said government to vanish from public view,

The delegate from Serrland, would recommend that the above text be changed to "...where a government or government sponsored entity conceals the fate,..."

[Unibot]

Defines a Forced Disappearance as a political tactic, where a government conceals the fate, or existence of an individual or a group of individuals who were required by said government to vanish from public view,

The delegate from Serrland, would recommend that the above text be changed to "...where a government or government sponsored entity conceals the fate,..."

Pascal nodded, "a fair point, ambassador."

[A mean old man]

Unibot, I'd ask you to kindly refrain from pursuing the success of this idea any further - before you mysteriously... disappear.

[Bears Armed]

OOC: 'International Security' resolutions increase the member nations' military & police budgets. How would this proposal have that effect?

'Human Sapient Rights'.

[Unibotian WASC Mission]

OOC: 'International Security' resolutions increase the member nations' military & police budgets. How would this proposal have that effect?

'Human Sapient Rights'.

OOC: This resolution's planned sequel to increase police programs for investigations of genuine disappearances would increase police budgets, you'll notice this draft has been categorized as "The Freedom Furtherment of Democracy". I decided on that category beside this greatly reduces government corruption, and allows citizens to politically oppose the government more often (without disappearing that is..).

Sorry for the confusion, I used the same thread for the [IDEA] and [DRAFT] threads -- hence the confusing, and almost unrelated first posts.