Anti-False Labeling and Advertisement Proposal

[Lenyo]

Authored by The Empire of Lenyo, Regionale. Opinions?

RECOGNIZING the importance of global industry and trade.
FURTHER RECOGNIZING that all products must be honestly labeled to ensure global customers' faith in any product.
UNDERSTANDING that one thorough system must be shared by all member nations to protect customers of the world against dishonest trade and marketing practices.
MANDATING a new WA agency, the Global Verifying Agency of Labeling, Advertisement, and Product Inspection (GVALAPI) to regulate, inspect, and confirm the contents and ingredients of all exports and imports to and from WA member nations.
ALLOWING the GVALAPI to inspect any and all international trade products of WA nations.
FURTHER ALLOWING the GVALAPI to forbid importation to any WA nation of any export which mislabels the contents or proportion of ingredients.
MANDATING that all exports and imports to WA nations must be labeled in such a manner which correctly states the contents and proportion of ingredients in any product for international trade.
BANNING WA nations from advertising any product in any false manner.
ALLOWING the GVALAPI to regulate and enforce the provisions of this proposal.

Co-authored by Al-Aqar. Strength: STRONG
GENERAL ASSEMBLY: ADVANCEMENT OF INDUSTRY: TORT REFORM

[Absolvability]

Well lets see... my first thought is that nobody is going to like having all of their products inspected. Perhaps the GVALAPI should only be charged with investigating reports of false advertisement. Also, the proposal probably needs a definition of what exactly constitutes false advertisement. You mention a thing or two in some clauses, but I think this proposal would benefit from a slightly more broad and clear definition that would incorporate all forms of advertisement rather than the label that is on the specific product. Oh... and just for aesthetics, maybe we could think up a better name for the GVALAPI (jalopy?)

[Flibbleites]

I think it would behoove the author to find out what the definition of "tort reform" is.

Bob Flibble
WA Representative

[Al-Aqar]

I think it would behoove the author to find out what the definition of "tort reform" is.

Frankly, sir, the categories are rather limited. Draft a proposal yourself, perhaps, and see where else you'd put this one.

[Linux and the X]

That's why we've previously been advised to write drafts to match a category, rather than matching categories to already written drafts.

[Al-Aqar]

So you would rather we ignore necessary areas of regulation because nobody's bothered to add a category?

[Flibbleites]

I think it would behoove the author to find out what the definition of "tort reform" is.

Frankly, sir, the categories are rather limited. Draft a proposal yourself, perhaps, and see where else you'd put this one.

I have, twice. And personally I'd stick this under "Free Trade" with a strength of Significant, erroneous labels could be considered a barrier to trade.

Bob Flibble
WA Representative

[Bears Armed]

Or it could be 'Moral Decency'...

[Al-Aqar]

Understood; the category definitely needs to be changed; Free Trade certainly seems to be the answer.

Category notwithstanding, what else does this need? I'm the 'acting author' for this week, as the Ambassador of Lenyo has been recalled for reelection.

[Charlotte Ryberg]

Honoured ambassador to Al-Aqar:

It may be possible to accomplish this without another WA agency. My idea is to require all member states to prevent misleading and dishonest market practices.

I am wondering, what area are you trying to accomplish? I was wondering whether you mean food standards, if so then no committee is required yet member states must be required to prevent food either unfit for safe consumption or with misleading ingredients from entering the market.

Submitted for your consideration,

[Al-Aqar]

Thank you, Honored Ambassador. I believe, speaking for the author, that this would not limit itself to food but would rather encompass anything from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics. It does seem smoother to ask member states to regulate themselves, as long as they are presented with a unified code to conform to (which this would, of course, provide).

Thank you very much for your contributions,

[Doctor Cyclops]

I recommend that the name of the monitoring agency be changed to "Global Agency for Verification of Advertising and Labelling" so that it will form the more pleasing (and marketable) initialism of GAVAL. The name is easily pronounceable and invokes images of justice and legal process in the mind of the listener.

That said, I think this is best covered by individual national laws, and I am uncertain as to why a WA resolution is required. I simply forbid products past my borders that do not meet my rigid standards of label compliance. Any sensible nation should do the same. If there are ones that do not, well, I'm afraid that you cannot legislate good sense.

[Al-Aqar]

Thank you, Doctor, for your advice regarding the acronym; your suggestion is certainly much more pleasant (and equally significant). Regarding your position that the whole issue be chalked up to national sovereignty, I and the author (at the very least) believe that it is an issue of international commerce that is important enough to be worth legislating through the WA. It seems dangerous that a nation with a particularly laissez-faire approach to commerce could, say, send poisonous medicines as foreign aid without knowing what was in them.

Thank you for your concern, and for your contributions,

[Absolvability]

I should think that this issue would indeed be quite important on an international scale, considering the various laws on the topic in diverse nations coupled with the absolute importance of international trade. The economy would surely benefit from a certain level of trust; and I'm hoping this proposal isn't going to be confined to medicines/foods, either. They may be the most immediate concern due to the paramount imporance of health, but as an economic resolution it should not be so restrained.

Of course, with the often awkward and restrictive categories, perhaps this is not an economic resolution at all? The idea of this is not to standardize a certain quality of product, I do not think, but to assure that the consumer is aware of what they are getting. A lesser quality product will still sell because, presumably, it will come with a cheaper price.

If this is the objective, I believe the introductory clauses of this proposal should be more powerfully re-written to express the very probably long-term benefits.

[Lenyo]

New Edition.

Labeling and Contents Verification Bill
Authored by the Empire of Lenyo.
RECOGNIZING the importance of global industry and trade.
FURTHER RECOGNIZING that all products must be honestly labeled to ensure global customers' faith in any product.
UNDERSTANDING that one thorough system must be shared by all member nations to protect customers of the world against dishonest trade and marketing practices.
MANDATING a new WA agency, the Global Agency for Verification of Advertising and Labeling (GAVAL) to regulate, inspect, and confirm the contents and ingredients of all exports and imports to and from WA member nations.
ALLOWING the GAVAL to inspect any and all international trade products of WA nations.
FURTHER ALLOWING the GAVAL to forbid importation to any WA nation of any export which mislabels the contents or proportion of ingredients.
MANDATING that all exports and imports to WA nations must be labeled in such a manner which correctly states the contents and proportion of ingredients in any product for international trade.
ALLOWING the GAVAL to regulate and enforce the provisions of this proposal.

Co-authored by Al-Aqar. Strength: STRONG
GENERAL ASSEMBLY: FREE TRADE

[Sorgan]

RECOGNIZING: I don't want people poking around in my exports/imports.

FURTHER RECOGNIZING: Too me that sounds very dictatorial.

[James Bluntus]

I don't like the fact that everything that comes into and goes out of James Bluntus is inspected. That can and will decrease the quality of the goods. Not to mention the time frame of the imports coming in which is already bad enough. Nope. James Bluntus can't and won't support this proposal.

[Absolvability]

Not only is the inspection of all exports/imports traded between WA-member nations distasteful, but it is a daunting task. I think it would be wise to change the wording so that the committee merely has the authority to investigate suspected/alleged cases.

[The Emmerian Unions]

MANDATING that all exports and imports to WA nations must be labeled in such a manner which correctly states the contents and proportion of ingredients in any product for international trade.

Sounds like this affects non-member nations.

[Doctor Cyclops]

Thank you, Doctor, for your advice regarding the acronym; your suggestion is certainly much more pleasant (and equally significant). Regarding your position that the whole issue be chalked up to national sovereignty, I and the author (at the very least) believe that it is an issue of international commerce that is important enough to be worth legislating through the WA. It seems dangerous that a nation with a particularly laissez-faire approach to commerce could, say, send poisonous medicines as foreign aid without knowing what was in them.

Thank you for your concern, and for your contributions,

Pleased to see that the ambassador is open to rational criticism.

Allow me to illuminate the Doctor's position:

Countries that have an interest in their own welfare already have standards and regulatory bodies that cover this territory. Your proposal, effectively, would only be relevant to countries that haven't the good sense to enact such policies themselves. The WA can't very well be the world's nanny. Nations without the wisdom to prevent their own destruction from tainted medicine should probably be allowed to hurl themselves into the void of nonexistence. Certainly unpleasant, but unavoidable.

[Bears Armed]

MANDATING that all exports and imports to WA nations must be labeled in such a manner which correctly states the contents and proportion of ingredients in any product for international trade.

Sounds like this affects non-member nations.

OOC: No, it would just mean that member nations couldn't import anything from any non-members that didn't label their exports in this way...

[Surote]

Surote would like to throw there support fully behind this cause false labeling and advertisment is wrong and should be punished

[The Emmerian Unions]

MANDATING that all exports and imports to WA nations must be labeled in such a manner which correctly states the contents and proportion of ingredients in any product for international trade.

Sounds like this affects non-member nations.

OOC: No, it would just mean that member nations couldn't import anything from any non-members that didn't label their exports in this way...

That does affect non-menber nations.

[Glen-Rhodes]

That does affect non-menber nations.

(OOC: If you're going to take that view, you might as well start ranting about half the other resolutions that indirectly affect non-members...)

[Bears Armed]

OOC _
Incidentally, the current title is too long: The limit is 30 characters, including any blank spaces involved.