[Passed] Cultural Site Preservation

[Osiris WA Office (Ancient)]

Category: Education and Creativity

Area of Effect: Cultural Heritage

The World Assembly,

Recognizing the abundance of sites with cultural significance within member nations and the need to preserve them for future generations,

Acknowledging the World Assembly as the perfect medium to assist with such preservation,

1. Hereby creates the World Assembly Trust for Cultural Heritage(WATCH),

2. Empowers the WATCH to perform the following actions:
a. Designate sites, in consultation with the nation housing said site, as culturally relevant,
b. Create an archive including, but not limited to, visual, verbal, and literary works that pertain to culturally relevant sites,
c. Recommend specific preservation practices to nations for their culturally relevant sites,
d. Fulfill requests by nations to assist in the preservation of sites when the nation in question is unable to do so,

3. Urges nations to follow the preservation recommendations of the WATCH,

4. Encourages all nations to make a good faith effort to preserve their culturally relevant sites, and to assist other nations in the preservation of their culturally relevant sites,

5. Mandates that nations shall take all reasonable precautions to avoid unnecessary damage to sites the WATCH has deemed culturally relevant,

6. Further mandates that nations shall not willingly use culturally relevant sites to house military or intelligence assets,

7. Requires the WATCH to grant exemptions in good faith to the protections and requirements of sections 5 and 6 for a site currently used as an intelligence or military asset in order to preserve its use as such.

The region of Osiris is presenting this draft to the General Assembly for review. Constructive criticism is not only wanted, it is encouraged.

[The Dourian Embassy]

For the record, I am the Osiris WA Minister, and this is indeed an initiative of the Osiris WA department. I'll be checking back here in the next day or two... but I'm pretty busy so this isn't in a rush or anything.

[Sealand of America]

The World Assembly,

Recognizing the abundance of sites with cultural significance within member nations and the need to preserve them for future generations,

Acknowledging the World Assembly as the perfect medium for this purpose,

1. Hereby creates the World Assembly Trust for Cultural Heritage(WATCH),

2. Empowers the WATCH to perform the following actions:
a. Designate sites as culturally relevant,
b. Create a library including, but not limited to, visual, verbal, and literary works that pertain to culturally relevant sites,
c. Recommend specific preservation practices to nations for their culturally relevant sites,
d. Fulfill requests by nations to assist in the preservation of sites when the nation in question is unable to do so,

3. Urges nations to follow the preservation recommendations of the WATCH,

4. Encourages all nations to make a good faith effort to preserve their culturally relevant sites, and to assist other nations in the preservation of their culturally relevant sites,

5. Mandates that nations shall take all reasonable precautions to avoid unnecessary damage to sites the WATCH has deemed culturally relevant,

6. Further mandates that nations shall not willingly use culturally relevant sites to house military or intelligence assets,

7. Exempts sites from the protections and requirements of sections 5 and 6 when those sites' cultural significance is tied to their current use as a military or intelligence asset.

The region of Osiris is presenting this draft to the General Assembly for review. Constructive criticism is not only wanted, it is encouraged.

I like it but 2a made me wonder after the site was chosen who would control the site an internal organization of the nation or the Watch directly. I would have the nations form an internal bureau to retain an essence of sovereignty but make it directly accountable to the WASH to ensure proper administration.

[Goddess Relief Office]

2. Empowers the WATCH to perform the following actions:
a. Designate sites as culturally relevant,
b. Create a library including, but not limited to, visual, verbal, and literary works that pertain to culturally relevant sites,
c. Recommend specific preservation practices to nations for their culturally relevant sites,
d. Fulfill requests by nations to assist in the preservation of sites when the nation in question is unable to do so,

Clause 2a is too strong. I would suggest adding something to the back such as "in consultation with the nation in question" or something to the effect. If you don't get the nation in question to participate in the process, there's no use even if you force the designated site onto them. They won't follow your recommendations. Better to make them part of the process.

~GRO~

[Aligned Planets]

2. Empowers the WATCH to perform the following actions:
a. Designate sites as culturally relevant,
b. Create a library including, but not limited to, visual, verbal, and literary works that pertain to culturally relevant sites,
c. Recommend specific preservation practices to nations for their culturally relevant sites,
d. Fulfill requests by nations to assist in the preservation of sites when the nation in question is unable to do so,

Clause 2a is too strong. I would suggest adding something to the back such as "in consultation with the nation in question" or something to the effect. If you don't get the nation in question to participate in the process, there's no use even if you force the designated site onto them. They won't follow your recommendations. Better to make them part of the process.

~GRO~

Seconded - this was my reading of 2a as well.

OOC: on a train so will give fuller thoughts later on.

[Osiris WA Office (Ancient)]

Changes made to 2.a as requested.

[The Dark Star Republic]

OOC: Guess I'll revive my Cultural Heritage in War proposal. I should have time once my next contract is up.

[Tea Party USA 2]

Would private companies be allowed to own and preserve cultural sites?

[The Dourian Embassy]

Would private companies be allowed to own and preserve cultural sites?

The national government is the ultimate arbiter of that. But one would hope so.

[Osiris WA Office (Ancient)]

Any more input peoples? We're very happy to take any suggestions into consideration.

[WA Kitty Kops]

Any more input peoples? We're very happy to take any suggestions into consideration.

OOC: Not everyone can hang out on the forums every day - many people check just once a week or even less often. The minimum suggested length for a proposal from an author that hasn't passed one yet, is 3 weeks, preferably 3 months.

DON'T RUSH IT.

[The Dourian Embassy]

OOC: But I like rushing it!

[Hirota]

For the record, I am the Osiris WA Minister, and this is indeed an initiative of the Osiris WA department.

Not really relevant to the proposal, but who is going to be submitting this?

Back to the draft, I can't see anything of particular issue - you've addressed the issue that normally crops up with this kind of proposal (that of armed forces using a cultural site as protection from other forces), and aside from creating yet another committee, currently has my governments tenuous support.

[The Dark Star Republic]

Acknowledging the World Assembly as the perfect medium for this purpose,

"Why? What makes the WA 'perfect' for this? In fact, your own preamble refers to these sites existing 'within member nations', which would seem to imply that they're not an issue crossing national borders, and hence the kind of international issue the WA should be dealing with. I don't think your preamble explains at all why this is a proposal the WA should be considering.

"Of course, we'll be absolute in our opposition it for other reasons anyway, but as you will likely rush this through before we can revise our own proposal we may as well at least comment."

~ Ambassador to the WA Inky Fungschlammer

[The Dourian Embassy]

For the record, I am the Osiris WA Minister, and this is indeed an initiative of the Osiris WA department.

Not really relevant to the proposal, but who is going to be submitting this?

Back to the draft, I can't see anything of particular issue - you've addressed the issue that normally crops up with this kind of proposal (that of armed forces using a cultural site as protection from other forces), and aside from creating yet another committee, currently has my governments tenuous support.

The nation "Osiris WA Office" will be submitting this, as it's a joint effort by Osiris.

Acknowledging the World Assembly as the perfect medium for this purpose,

"Why? What makes the WA 'perfect' for this? In fact, your own preamble refers to these sites existing 'within member nations', which would seem to imply that they're not an issue crossing national borders, and hence the kind of international issue the WA should be dealing with. I don't think your preamble explains at all why this is a proposal the WA should be considering.

"Of course, we'll be absolute in our opposition it for other reasons anyway, but as you will likely rush this through before we can revise our own proposal we may as well at least comment."

~ Ambassador to the WA Inky Fungschlammer

That's a good point, I'm going to edit up the preamble a bit to address some of the problems with it.

[Tea Party USA 2]

I'm still debating whether or not cultural sites are really a WA issue.

[Point Breeze]

I'm still debating whether or not cultural sites are really a WA issue.

This is an issue that the WA has been grappling since the repeal of "Cultural Heritage Protection".

OOC: I hate to use a real life example, but think of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

[Bergnovinaia]

I'm still debating whether or not cultural sites are really a WA issue.

It's actually been an issue since (and before) GA #72.

[Bananaistan]

Bananaistan will support this resolution but we would like it to be stronger. Any chance 2a can be changed back to its original wording? Also we would prefer if 4 was a requirement rather than just an encouragement.

Our concern is that unless a nation actually designates a site as a culturally significant site, it can do what it pleases with it. If a government refuses to allow WATCH to designate a site as culturally significant under 2a, there is little the international community can do about it. The government can then go on their merry way destroying all sorts of things without there being any recourse to international law.

We actually disagree with clause 6. We can easily imagine defence departments, or indeed any government office, and so on being located in historical buildings that are culturally significant. Any such government office could be construed as an intelligence asset.

[Hakio]

I think the resolution could be cleaned up a bit in later drafts, but otherwise it is a great idea and one which our nation supports fully and wholeheartedly.

[The Dourian Embassy]

Bananaistan will support this resolution but we would like it to be stronger. Any chance 2a can be changed back to its original wording? Also we would prefer if 4 was a requirement rather than just an encouragement.

Our concern is that unless a nation actually designates a site as a culturally significant site, it can do what it pleases with it. If a government refuses to allow WATCH to designate a site as culturally significant under 2a, there is little the international community can do about it. The government can then go on their merry way destroying all sorts of things without there being any recourse to international law.

We actually disagree with clause 6. We can easily imagine defence departments, or indeed any government office, and so on being located in historical buildings that are culturally significant. Any such government office could be construed as an intelligence asset.

The original wording was not any stronger, it just didn't take nation's wishes into account at all. With the changes sites could still, theoretically, be designated as significant without permission(though not without input) from the nation housing such a site.

Clause six is negated by clause seven in the case you suggested.

Any more input people?

[Shendenflar]

The Republic of Shendenflar would tentatively support this. Preserving cultural heritage and historically significant sites has always been a priority of our nation. We would however, like to see more national participation and input. The WATCH agency should not be allowed to designate sites without input and permission from individual nations.

[Bananaistan]

The original wording was not any stronger, it just didn't take nation's wishes into account at all. With the changes sites could still, theoretically, be designated as significant without permission(though not without input) from the nation housing such a site.

Clause six is negated by clause seven in the case you suggested.

Any more input people?

Fair enough re: clause 2a, we were not being entirely serious as indicated by the use of the smilie.

Re clause 6, I disagree. If the government department is in a building of historical importance because of some reason other than housing the current office, 6 will not be negated by clause 7. Any such negation of clause 6 only applies where the cultural significance relates to their current use as a military or intelligence asset. Were military or intelligence asset adequately defined within the resolution, we might be appeased. For example, if the Head of State is the commander in chief of a country's military, is his office a military asset?

[Vuuhn]

Clause 2a is too strong. I would suggest adding something to the back such as "in consultation with the nation in question" or something to the effect. If you don't get the nation in question to participate in the process, there's no use even if you force the designated site onto them. They won't follow your recommendations. Better to make them part of the process.

~GRO~

I agree, and if the nation/region in question doesn't agree that the site is culturally relevant, and the WATCH tries to get it as a site anyway, the nation/region should be able to lodge some kind of complaint with a WATCH watch of some kind

[Moronist Decisions]

Category and strength, please?