Following requests from some Ambassadors, this delegation also submitted a draft to replace GA#550 "Freedom of association". However, our priority is the repeal of GA#550 than its replacement.
Repeal GA#550 "Freedom of association"
The General Assembly,
Recognizing GA#550's attempt to secure freedom of association and its will to extend the implementation of its provisions as much as possible,
Noting that GA#550 clause 1, which forces governments to "allow citizens to associate with any organization of their choosing", does not allow Member Nations to prevent public officials, members of public administration, members of law enforcement and the armed forces, and the judiciary to join associations whose membership could lead to a conflict of interest for them,
Observing that GA#550 clause 1(a), which fully delegates the application of the right to freedom of association to organizations, does not allow democratic Nations to prevent the application of
- discriminatory criteria based on sex, ethnicity, language, religion, personal and social conditions in the selection of the members, even if these criteria are not justified by the aims of the association (e.g., sports, cultural or religious associations), and
- external interference and co-optative and undemocratic methods in the selection of the members of political organizations and workers' associations,
Highlighting that GA#550 clause 1(b), which vaguely mentions "national security", "national criminal law", and "commission of crimes", could be used by corrupt governments to justify
- the declaration of any political and non-political association that aims to improve the living conditions of the general population (e.g., associations for freedom of speech, for the rights of minorities) as an organization "involved in the commission of a crime", even if the association does not seek to subvert the established order (e.g. by preparing a revolution or carrying out acts of guerrilla or terrorism), and
- the declaration of any military and paramilitary associations that act to maintain the established order as an organization "not involved in the commission of a crime", even if this maintenance deliberately worsens the living conditions of the general population (e.g., through repression of dissidents, state terrorism and genocide of minorities),
Concerned that GA#550, even opposing the imposition of criminal penalties for affiliating with an organisation not involved in the commission of a crime, does not explicitly prohibit the prosecution of members who have not been directly or indirectly involved in the illegal activities of their own association,
Hereby, repeals GA#550 "Freedom of association".