Passed General Assembly resolutions

[Imperium Anglorum]

Dual Citizenship Arrangements
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

Category: Civil Rights
Strength: Mild
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Text: The World Assembly (WA),

Acknowledging its natural interest in regulating relations between WA states as well as to facilitate commerce, travel and communications between WA states;

Noting that certain WA states may prevent some inhabitants of sub-national regions from becoming full citizens;

Recognizing previous GA resolutions that regulate aspects of citizenship such as #523, #552, and #601 but noting that the WA does not explicitly regulate individuals holding multiple citizenships, thus creating potential issues for individuals that may hold multiple citizenships due to differences between the laws of different WA states;

Desiring a common solution for such issues through the WA;

1. Defines:
   
   1. Citizen(s) to mean the individual citizen(s) of a WA state;
   2. Dual citizen(s) (or “dual citizenship”) to mean citizen(s) of a WA state that is also the citizen of at least one other state, regardless of whether the second state is a WA state;
   3. References to "state" means any state regardless of membership, and “WA state” means a member of the WA;
2. Requires:
   
   1. A WA state may not create different levels of citizenship or nationality such that an individual is a citizen or national of certain sub-national portions of the said WA state but not a citizen throughout the entirety of the said WA state;
   2. No action by an individual or by a WA state pursuant to this resolution may result in statelessness on the part of an individual;
3. Requires that a WA state may not, subject to extant WA resolutions:
   
   1. prohibit its legally competent citizens from:
      
      1. voluntarily renouncing their citizenship of that WA state, as long as this does not result in statelessness for that citizen;
      2. voluntarily adopt the citizenship of another state;
   2. bring charges of treason against former citizens provided that the said crimes are alleged to have been committed after they have renounced their citizenship;
   3. impose taxes or fees specifically as a result of an individual seeking to renounce their citizenship;
   4. impose other conditions on any individual seeking to renounce their citizenship, except for:
      
      1. requiring an individual to resign from a position with the national or sub-national governments of a WA state (including military service) if clause 4(a)(iii) applies;
      2. the payment of any other taxes already then due and payable according to the laws of that WA state;
4. Requires that if a WA state chooses to permit dual citizenship, subject to extant WA resolutions:
   
   1. it must not discriminate against such citizens except on the following matters:
      
      1. a declared state of war exists between that WA state and the other state(s) in which that citizen also has citizenship;
      2. participation in elections; or
      3. appointment to, or employment of, the dual citizen by national or sub-national governments of that WA state that require clearances of that WA state for national security purposes;
   2. it must not deny the right to consular protection if such rights are exercised by other state(s) in which the dual citizen holds citizenship;
5. Requires that all WA states remind their citizens travelling to non-WA states, through such means as the WA state deems necessary:
   
   1. to check in advance if they are also citizens of the other non-WA states even if they are not aware of such citizenship, due to circumstances such as (merely as an example) distant family relations;
   2. to be aware that consular protection may or may not be available depending on the circumstances of the non-WA state;
6. Clarifies:
   
   1. this resolution does not affect whether a WA state permits dual citizenship for its own citizens;
   2. if a WA state changes its laws so that it no longer permits dual citizenship, it may not compel its own dual citizens from renouncing their other citizenship(s) nor to discriminate against such dual citizens except as per the limited circumstances in clause 4(a);
   3. in case of disputes concerning clause 4(b) between two WA states, the Independent Adjudicative Office shall have jurisdiction.

Votes For: 9 386 (77.2%)
Votes Against: 2 767 (22.8%)

Implemented Mon 30 Oct 2023

[GA 695 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Educational Equality Act
A resolution to promote funding and the development of education and the arts.

Category: Education and Creativity
Area of Effect: Educational
Proposed by: The Ice States

Text: Discrimination and harassment against protected classes in schools, such as targeting of minority students and discriminatory hate speech, is a widespread problem in some member nations, denying such students a safe and healthy education experience. Such discrimination and harassment can also create undue pressure on minority students to conceal their identity or minority status. However, some schools still take little to no action against discrimination within their schools, or merely engage in "lip service" against discrimination in the absence of strong legislation protecting minority groups in education. The World Assembly thus enacts as follows,

1. For the purposes of this resolution, these terms are defined as follows,
   
   
   1. A "school" is defined as an institution designed for the organised education of students by providing learning spaces and environments.
      
      
   2. A "protected class" is any social categorisation implicitly or explicitly defined by World Assembly law as arbitrary or reductive, or which is protected as such under national or subnational law.
      
      
   3. "Hate speech" is defined as public speech which expresses or promotes, whether explicitly or implicitly, hate or discrimination towards a protected class; this includes, but is not limited to, the use of slurs against said class.
2. Every school must actively and continuously work to prevent, and take action against, any instances within the scope of said school's authority of (a) hate speech, or (b) harassment of individuals based on their real or perceived membership of a protected class. Every school must also encourage its students to report and try to stop such acts should they occur. However, this provision shall not be interpreted as prohibiting the use of examples of hate speech for educational purposes, so long as this occurs in a manner which does not construe such hate speech as correct or legitimate.
   
   
3. Every school must offer resources to its students to
   
   
   1. assist them in coming to terms with their belonging to a protected class;
      
      
   2. help them overcome harassment or discrimination for their real or perceived membership of a protected class; and
      
      
   3. otherwise support its students' mental health from issues involving said students' real or perceived membership in a protected class, including discrimination motivated thereby.
4. Every member nation must prescribe, as part of a mandatory curriculum for all its students under the age of majority, regardless of whether relevant schools are publicly owned, and in a manner appropriate to said students' age, an understanding of discrimination against protected classes in said member nation, including
   
   
   1. the subjects, forms, and prevalence of discrimination in the present day, including recognising such discrimination, how and why it is unjust, and the impacts of various types of discrimination;
      
      
   2. any history in that member nation of discrimination against protected classes, regardless of state-enforced nature or lack thereof in such discrimination; and
      
      
   3. how such students can personally act to prevent or otherwise halt observed acts of discrimination or harassment against individuals based on their protected class status.
5. All member nations must prohibit schools under their jurisdiction from discriminating against their students on the basis of their real or perceived membership of a protected class.

Co-author: Evinea

Votes For: 11 199 (88.1%)
Votes Against: 1 516 (11.9%)

Implemented Tue 7 Nov 2023

[GA 696 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Reducing Light Pollution
A resolution to increase the quality of the world's environment, at the expense of industry.

Category: Environmental
Industry Affected: All Businesses - Mild
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Text: The World Assembly (WA),

Noting that, for some WA states, light pollution harms their environments such as wildlife habitats (say migrating songbirds, fireflies and animals requiring darkness), aquatic ecosystems (sayalgae brooms) and the opportunity to observe the night sky for astronomers, as well as impacting the health of some sapient species such as interrupting their sleep patterns and confusing their circadian rhythms;

Further noting that in some cases light pollution is also resulting from excess lighting which in turn creates unnecessary energy use, which may be detrimental to the welfare of some WA states;

Acknowledging that, for WA states sharing a common border or in proximity to each other, the requirements for lighting can significantly differ, such as differences in sapient species inhabiting the relevant WA state(s), and land use (such as a wildlife reserve in one state bordering a bustling city in another state), and for differing needs to potentially come into conflict due to the ability of light pollution to creep across national boundaries via sky glow, the rusty orange haze cast by the massed lights over a wide area through the atmosphere in some WA states;

Desiring a common approach that resolves such issues through the WA in a coherent manner; hereby

1. Defines:
   
   1. IAO to mean the Independent Adjudicative Office of the WA;
   2. WASP to mean the Scientific Programme of the WA;
2. Requires WA states to, subject to their levels of technology sophistication, take reasonable steps in good faith to reduce light pollution without compromising on the health and safety of its own inhabitants through (merely as examples) the following means:
   
   1. Adopt energy-saving lighting equipment, such as lower-energy use light bulbs, dimmers and automatic switch-off lights;
      
   2. Proactively reduce outdoor lighting pointing skywards, such as street lighting with downward directions, motion detectors, low energy electronic billboards and low-pressure sodium lamps;
      
   3. Adopt land use measures to protect the habitat of species that require darkness, such as light shields and darkness reserves in national parks;
3. Permits a WA state to require the assistance of WASP in implementing measures to reduce light pollution, with all reasonable costs incurred by WASP fully indemnified by the said state;
   
   
4. Permits, if a WA state ("requesting state") shares a border with, or is in close proximity to, another WA state ("responding state"), to expressly raise a request for the responding state to reduce light pollution in areas near shared borders or other areas where the two states are close to each other, subject to the following conditions:
   
   1. The requesting state is to fully indemnify the responding state for all reasonable costs incurred to reduce light pollution;
      
   2. Either state may request the assistance of WASP in implementing measures to reduce light pollution, with all reasonable costs incurred by WASP fully indemnified by the requesting state;
      
   3. The responding state is permitted to reject or negotiate on the implementation of such a request if it reasonably believes that such reductions in light pollution (or lighting use in general) will harm the health and wellbeing of its own inhabitants, subject to appeals by either state to the IAO;
5. Clarifies that the IAO shall have the final authority on interpreting this resolution and on adjudicating any disputes regarding clause 4.

Votes For: 10 017 (75.4%)
Votes Against: 3 271 (24.6%)

Implemented Wed 15 Nov 2023

[GA 697 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Convention Against Heinous Crimes
A resolution to improve world security by boosting police and military budgets.

Category: International Security
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: The Ice States

Text: Whereas, given the heinous nature of crimes against humanity and other similar acts, member nations should cooperate with each other to bring those responsible to justice;

Whereas such cooperation is effectively promoted by facilitating comity between member nations in dealing with heinous crimes; and

Whereas, although the World Assembly has legislated to restrict extradition to comply with due process standards (GA #147), as well as to regulate trial procedure for fairness (GA #37, inter alia), this august institution does not yet mandate the extension of comity for most heinous crimes;

The World Assembly enacts as follows, subject to previously enacted World Assembly law.

1. Definitions: For the purposes of this resolution, a "heinous crime" means an act which World Assembly law explicitly or implicitly designates as a war crime, a crime against peace, or a crime against humanity, regardless of what jurisdiction takes up a case regarding that act. Absent qualification otherwise, uses of the phrase "World Assembly law" make no regard for the timing, relative to this resolution, of the passage of such law, and exclude repealed legislation.
   
   
2. Reviews: Where an individual charged or convicted for a heinous crime in a World Assembly member nation remains under the jurisdiction of another member nation, the latter member nation must make a bona fide review to determine whether to extend comity over the case, if such comity is not already extended or to be extended. Such a review must be presided over by a court or other tribunal.
   
   
   1. Comity is to be presumptively granted if there is probable cause that the individual is guilty of said heinous crime, and in such a case may only be denied if the tribunal finds that extending comity would (i) result in a violation of due process or World Assembly law; or (ii) significantly harm a compelling public interest which outweighs the public's interest in extension of comity.
      
      
   2. The World Assembly Judiciary Committee may, with the consent of the reviewing member nation, supply judicial officials to participate in the tribunal or proceedings thereof.
3. Comity: Comity may be extended either by resuming or enforcing the relevant judicial proceedings by the member nation to which comity is extended; or by extraditing the individual in question to the member nation to which comity is extended.
   
   
   1. No member nation or entity therein may wilfully obstruct the transportation of an individual between member nations for the purposes of such extradition, subject to Section 3b.
      
      
   2. A member nation may, subject to other World Assembly law, prevent or restrict its jurisdiction from being used for such transportation, so long as this does not prevent extradition from proceeding without posing a substantial additional burden on the time or finances of the extraditing member nation.
      
      
   3. The enforcement of a judicial sentence shall be considered a form of judicial proceedings in this resolution.
4. Extradition support: The International Enforcement Commission, or IEC, is reestablished. Where a member nation has elected to extend comity via extradition under Section 3, the IEC may provide support, in the form of law enforcement officers and with the consent of the extraditing member nation, to facilitate the delivery of the extradited individual to the jurisdiction of the relevant member nation.
   
   
   1. IEC officers acting per this mandate may only use armed force where absolutely necessary to ensure that the individual is safely delivered to the relevant member nation.
      
      
   2. The World Assembly shall reserve the power to, by resolution, expand the authority of the IEC to carry out additional law enforcement actions, excepting regulations limited to the scope of preventing (i) arbitrary action against a person, entity, or property thereof; or (ii) use of force substantially greater than necessary to restrain a person or prevent imminent lawless action.

Votes For: 8 161 (66.7%)
Votes Against: 4 076 (33.3%)

Implemented Thu 23 Nov 2023

[GA 698 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Safe Transportation of Hazardous Materials
A resolution to enact uniform standards that protect workers, consumers, and the general public.

Category: Regulation
Area of Effect: Transportation
Proposed by: Gemeinschaftsland

Text: The World Assembly,

Cognizant of the many important roles hazardous materials play in the industries and operations of WA member states;

Concerned, though, that the lack of uniform regulation and oversight in the transportation of such substances could increase the risk of spills and leaks and, by extension, the terrible ramifications of such accidents on the environment and intelligent life;

Resolving, then, to provide effective international standards and oversight for the transportation of hazardous materials;

Hereby,

1. Defines, for the purposes of this resolution:
   
   1. A “hazardous material”, “hazmat”, or “hazardous substance” as any object or agent that would pose, either directly or via environmental contamination, a significant risk to local life in the bulk and/or concentration found in transportation and storage;
   2. The “LD₅₀” as the amount of a hazardous substance, given all at once, which would cause mortality in the top 50% most affected individuals;
2. Further empowers the Toxic Materials Commission (TMC) with the following mandates:
   
   1. To, in addition to those carried out by national hazmat authorities, conduct unannounced inspections, both targeted and random, of hazardous material transports for the purpose of ensuring all regulations are upheld and high standards of safety are maintained;
   2. To certify hazmat containers manufactured by other entities to ensure compliance with all relevant regulations, and sufficient manufacturing consistency;
   3. To manufacture and/or facilitate the manufacture of standardized, regulation-compliant containers as a low-cost alternative to those produced by other entities;
   4. To mitigate the negative impacts of hazardous materials lost or damaged while in transit and/or aid member states in doing so;
   5. To liaise with the International Transport Safety Committee (ITSC) to determine and enact standards to further improve safety in hazmat transportation;
   6. To establish and certify training regimens for workers in frequent contact with hazardous materials, and ensure programs’ continued relevance, and
   7. To cooperate with judicial bodies to penalize entities in violation of relevant rules and regulations;
3. Requires all personnel involved in the transportation of hazardous materials receive job-relevant, TMC-certified hazmat training in order to reduce, as much as is plausible, risk of preventable accidents due to personnel error;
   
   
4. Mandates the use of TMC-certified containers in the vehicular transportation of hazardous materials, subject to the following specifications as appropriate for each package:
   
   1. Containers must be "drop-resistant", defined as the ability to weather a minimum of six consecutive drops of at least 2 meters onto a rigid, non-resilient, flat and horizontal surface without sustaining any damage which could adversely affect safety during transport;
   2. Containers must be "air-tight", defined as being able to enclose contents at a of at least 4 psi, or one-point-five times the pressure of its intended contents (whichever is greater) without rupture or leakage;
   3. Containers must be "vibration-resistant", defined as the ability to withstand severe vibration with peak-to-peak displacement of at least one inch for no less than one hour without sustaining any leaks, ruptures, or being otherwise structurally compromised;
   4. Rigid containers must be tested for "stack safety", defined as the capability of a container to withstand the total weight of all full, identical containers that would be stacked upon it during transport; the maximum tested weight withstood must be clearly labeled on containers’ exteriors to reduce negligent use;
   5. Containers carrying chemically reactive contents must be "chemically stable", defined as the ability to contact chemically-reactive contents for no less than 180 days at shipping temperature without sustaining leaks or being otherwise structurally compromised; minor revisions to pre-certified container designs, excepting material changes, need not be re-tested for chemical stability;
   6. Containers carrying infectious agents must use at least one primary receptacle, enclosed in at least one secondary receptacle, itself enclosed in an outer layer of packaging, all of which are subject to all of the above regulations, and clearly labeled as containing an infectious agent;
   7. Containers carrying greater than the LD₅₀ of a hazardous substance must be clearly and expressly labeled as such;
5. Obligates WA member states and all entities operating within their borders to schedule and report departures, arrivals, routes, and accidents pertaining to hazardous cargo directly to the TMC in order to facilitate inspections and/or damage mitigation, and
   
   
6. Prohibits WA member states from withholding access to areas required for or otherwise deliberately interfering with TMC operations, so long as such proceedings would not present a tangible risk to national security.

Votes For: 10 690 (87.1%)
Votes Against: 1 577 (12.9%)

Implemented Mon 27 Nov 2023

[GA 699 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Whistleblowing Convention
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

Category: Civil Rights
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: The Ice States

Text: Whereas whistleblowing should be protected, be it enacted as follows.

1. Definitions: The following is:
   
   
   1. "State" means member nation, or administrative or political subdivision thereof.
      
      
   2. "Entity" means public or private entity.
      
      
   3. An "authorised recipient" is a body receiving a Section 2 report under Sections 2, 5 or 7.
      
      
   4. "Consent" means positive, free, informed and written consent.
      
      
   5. No part of this resolution restricts the ability of member nations to jointly or severally create further protections for disclosure of unlawful, wrongful or otherwise illicit activity by an entity.
2. Agencies: A person (hereinafter "whistleblower") has the right to submit a bona fide report (hereinafter "report") not violating legal professional privilege of unlawful, wrongful or otherwise illicit activity by an entity to a body (hereinafter "agency") with authority over, and which is otherwise independent of, said entity. Every entity must have at least one agency in addition to any established at a higher state level. An agency has the following duties:
   
   
   1. Never (i) disclosing to any external person or group of persons the identity of any whistleblower submitting a report to that agency, subject to Section 3; or (ii) discriminating against a whistleblower based on any social categorisation protected by World Assembly or other applicable law as arbitrary or reductive;
      
      
   2. Promptly and fully forwarding any report which that agency lacks the authority to adequately address to another agency with such authority; the forwarding agency shall subsequently disclaim all authority under Sections 2c - 2e over the report;
      
      
   3. Promptly reviewing every other report the agency receives, and deciding whether to officially act against the reported activity, either immediately or after an official investigation by that agency, based on factors including the severity and likelihood of the reported activity;
      
      
   4. Reserving authority to (i) order the cessation of reported activity upon deciding to act against it; (ii) prosecute, or where the agency oversees a private entity only request the prosecution of, unlawful reported activity or failure to comply with a Section 2d.i order; and (iii) act as a mediator to address reports, conditional on the consent of all involved parties including the original whistleblower; and
      
      
   5. Authorising the publication of activity or evidence thereof reported under Section 2a, where (i) the information to be disclosed is demonstrably correct; (ii) the public has an interest in knowledge of such information which outweighs any compelling public interest against such disclosure, eg personal privacy or national security; and (iii) such disclosure does not violate the law of any jurisdiction the agency does not oversee.
3. Liability: Every agency shall be subject to a standard of respondeat superior; in addition to the official in question, an agency is criminally liable for violations of this resolution by an official of said agency. Section 2a's anonymity requirements may be waived only
   
   
   1. with the consent of the relevant whistleblower;
      
      
   2. for Section 2b forwarding of a report, in which case the entity to which the report is forwarded must comply with the same anonymity requirements; or
      
      
   3. to the minimal extent deemed essential by a tribunal or agency to facilitate an official investigation of (i) a likely violation of criminal or civil law or (ii) the reported activity.
4. Non-retaliation: No penalty, discriminatory treatment or other retaliation may be imposed upon any person for lodging a report, or upon any person or entity for publishing or circulating facts whose publication was authorised by an agency under Section 2e.
   
   
5. Direct reports: A report may be directly lodged with the entity responsible for the reported activity, in which case the entity must (a) comply with this resolution's anonymity requirements as if it were an agency and (b) forward the report to an actual agency under the procedure in Section 2b.
   
   
6. Advice: A prospective whistleblower has the right to request advice on how or whether to lodge a report from up to three individuals with the general expectation of confidentiality. A person who invokes this right shall be subject to the non-retaliation protections in Section 4, as if that person were lodging a report.
   
   
7. GDAA: The General Disclosure Appellate Agency (hereinafter the GDAA) is established as an agency with universal jurisdiction and prosecutorial powers. A whistleblower may directly submit a report to the GDAA should that whistleblower believe that a lower-level agency failed or is unlikely to appropriately address the report or reported activity. The GDAA shall directly process all reports lodged with it.
   
   
8. Contradiction: Should a provision of this resolution contradict a past World Assembly resolution still in force, that previous resolution takes precedence.

Votes For: 8 872 (72.0%)
Votes Against: 3 454 (28.0%)

Implemented Tue 5 Dec 2023

[GA 700 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Repeal "Star Gazing Day"
A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation.

Category: Repeal
Resolution: #687
Proposed by: Mechanocracy

Description: General Assembly Resolution #687 "Star Gazing Day" (Category: Environmental, Industry Affected: All Businesses - Mild) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: Reaffirming this body believes that while the bill creating star gazing day was written with the best intentions, but there exists reasonable concern that it will have unintended consequences,

Furthermore concerned that by encouraging entire nations to lower the lights as outlined in Clause 4.2, pedestrians will be placed at higher risk of injury and exposure to crime as their cities plunge into darkness, and that this campaign against lighting on a society-wide basis is an integral aspect of the bill that cannot be reasonably mitigated without removing the resolution's primary aims,

Fully conscious that issues with light pollution on the borders between member states and and non-World Assembly nations, which will not necessarily be subject to similar restrictions on light usage, highlight that the international mandate contained within the resolution may be better suited to other organizations or handled at a regional level where collections of bordered nations can coordinate with one another to more effectively see through the intent of the resolution- without the resolution,

Apprehensive that resolution #687’s subjective and vague wording will create legal grey zones and unneeded conflict between members of the public over when the use of light is “unwanted, inappropriate, or excessive”, and that resultant debate may consume time better spent by local governments on other more important subjects of contention, and

Disappointed that resolution #687 promotes spectral spectacle while seemingly blinded to these more grounded concerns,

The General Assembly hereby repeals GA#687 "Star Gazing Day."

Co-author: Varanius

Votes For: 8 869 (64.6%)
Votes Against: 4 855 (35.4%)

Implemented Sat 9 Dec 2023

[GA 701 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Improving Infant Nutrition
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

Category: Civil Rights
Strength: Mild
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Text: The World Assembly,

Asserting that providing full and proper nutrition to infants of some sapient species has been scientifically validated to be beneficial to the said infants, with improved outcomes in overcoming childhood diseases, intellectual development and overall physical health; 

Noting that, for some members of certain specific species, breastfeeding may be beneficial to both the infants and to the provider(s) of breast milk, while for others, formula milk or other nutritious products may provide a better (or only) alternative;

Further noting that, innate prejudices and misunderstandings are still prevalent in some WA states and that feeding friendly environments may not be available and impede the promotion of proper feeding for infants of certain members of specific species; hereby

1. Defines:
   
   1. "Breastfeeding" to mean the practice of feeding milk or other tissue discharged by the usual biological processes of the breastfeed provider to their infants (such as the pumping of milk for later storage and feeding);
      
   2. "Feeding" to include feeding methods such as breastfeeding plus the provision of formula to an infant;
      
   3. "Formula" to mean formula milk or (depending on specific species) other scientifically validated, full nourished, and sanitary nutrition, whether produced naturally or through technological means, required for the survival and full and proper development of infants of specific species;
      
   4. "Government(s)" to mean governments of each WA state, including sub-national governments;
      
   5. "Hygienic space" to mean a convenient, accessible, comfortable, sanitary, private and enclosed, environment that facilitates feeding and is free of charge at the point of use;
      
   6. "Specific species" to mean inhabitants of WA states that belong to sapient species where feeding is beneficial to the overall health of their infants, as determined by WASP;
      
   7. "WAHQ" to mean the WA Headquarters;
      
   8. "WASP" to mean the WA Scientific Programme;
      
   9. References to "such as" are merely as examples only;
2. Requires WASP to:
   
   1. Conduct ongoing research and provide updated relevant information for distribution to all WA states on proper feeding techniques as well as the use of formulas (including any new improvements to formulas) and the benefits to specific species;
      
   2. Educate inhabitants of specific species the need to provide full and proper nutrition to infants, either directly or through the governments of individual WA states through such means as WASP deems appropriate;
      
   3. Provide guidelines on maintaining sanitation and hygiene in "hygienic spaces", subject to the physical constraints of each WA state;
3. Requires that government(s):
   
   1. Ensure that all facilities owned by governments, as well as all medical facilities (operated by a government or otherwise) in all WA states should provide, as soon as reasonably practicable and where physically possible, "hygienic spaces", as long as the WA state has a significant portion of its legal inhabitants belonging to a "specific species";
      
   2. Prohibit employers established in WA states from discriminating against anyone directly or indirectly on the grounds that time is required during working hours for feeding, and to impose such penalties as the said government proscribes, subject to due process of law;
      
   3. Provide attractive incentives for employers and owners of private property to provide "hygienic spaces", through such measures that the relevant government(s) deems necessary;
      
   4. Prohibit discrimination against any inhabitants on their choice of feeding methods, and to impose such penalties as the said government proscribes, subject to due process of law,
      
   5. Educate their own inhabitants against prejudices in feeding methods, such as discriminating against members of a certain sapient species that cannot breastfeed;
      
   6. Make widely available, through itself or through other providers, such as pharmacies and supermarkets, viable formula for purchase by any inhabitants of specific species;
4. Clarifies that:
   
   1. Terms not defined in this resolution shall be defined by WASP;
   2. The competent authorities of a government are responsible for the implementation and interpretation of this resolution;
   3. The WA Office of Building Management is responsible for providing convenient, private and enclosed "hygienic spaces" WAHQ and other offices of committees, bodies and organs of the WA, and the availability of such spaces to adequately satisfy the needs of every member of a "specific species" working at WAHQ or the said other offices.

Votes For: 10 355 (84.2%)
Votes Against: 1 949 (15.8%)

Implemented Wed 13 Dec 2023

[GA 702 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Consular Protection Arrangements
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

Category: Civil Rights
Strength: Mild
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Text: The World Assembly (WA);

Noting that travelers abroad may sometimes need assistance due to unforeseen circumstances;

Desiring better assistance that may be offered to them by their home states;

Hereby:

1. Defines:
   
   1. Citizen(s) to mean individual(s) holding valid citizenship in a home state;
      
   2. Home state to mean the WA state where the citizen has citizenship;
      
   3. Host state to mean the state where the home state's citizen is located at the time assistance is sought;
      
   4. Mission to mean a diplomatic mission of a WA state and mission staff to mean accredited representatives of that state;
      
   5. State to mean any state and WA state to mean a member of the WA;
      
   6. WACC to mean the WA Compliance Commission;
2. Requires a home state, if it receives a request from a citizen, to offer assistance on the following:
   
   1. Any adoptions of children from the host state, and for migration, subject to extant resolutions;
   2. Issuing any identity documents needed from time to time, such as emergency passports;
   3. Any repatriations in an emergency if a citizen lacks the means to do so, including:
      
      1. Issuing temporary travel documents and assist in exiting the host state, if required;
      2. Arranging for transit to return to the home state, if needed;
      3. Repatriating a citizen to the home state if that citizen dies in the host state, if a prior wish for repatriation had been expressed or at the request of the deceased's next of kin;
3. Requires a home state, if a citizen is accused of a criminal offence in the host state, to offer assistance on the following matters:
   
   1. Provide guidance on the legal process of the host state;
   2. Arrange for competent legal advice or representation for the citizen, if such services are not provided by the host state;
   3. Attend the judicial proceedings of the citizen to the maximum extent permitted;
   4. Assist in providing mental health, translation and interpreting services, if such services are not provided by the host state;
   5. Provide reasonable financial assistance for legal and other expenses if the home state deems fit;
   6. From time to time (and with reasonable frequency, if requested by the citizen) have its mission staff meet with the citizen in a setting with sufficient levels of privacy, in order to offer or to render support;
4. Requires a home state to promptly offer assistance on the following matters, in addition to the assistance offered in clause 4, if a citizen of the home state is detained by the authorities of the host state, or is convicted of a criminal offence and incarcerated in the host state;
   
   1. Provide guidance on means for appeal(s) or seek other judicial relief;
   2. Facilitate visits by family members of the citizens to the host state to visit the detained citizen;
   3. Increased mental, visitation and other support to and for the citizen as the mission deems fit;
5. Requires a home state, if it has no mission(s) in a host state, to:
   
   1. Request the help of another WA state ("assisting state") that has a mission in the host state in offering the said assistance and any other assistance it may request;
   2. Require that the assisting state not decline such request(s) from the home state making such request(s), so long as:
      
      1. The home state fully indemnifies the assisting state for all the costs incurred; and
      2. The assisting state deems itself capable of offering such assistance;
6. Requires a home state:
   
   1. Not to revoke citizenship on its own citizens on the grounds of the said citizen seeking assistance under this resolution;
   2. Make all offers of assistance promptly and to the fullest extent possible, given its own capabilities;
7. Requires the host state, if it is a WA state, to:
   
   1. Fully cooperate with the home state(s) in the rendering of all assistance as defined in this resolution;
   2. Not entice or coerce someone to not seek assistance from their home state;
   3. Not object to the citizen that is both a citizen of the host state and the home state to request assistance from a home state, or the home state to render assistance to the citizen, subject to extant resolutions;
8. Clarifies:
   
   1. This resolution does not regulate whether a home state decides to extend consular protection to residents of that state that are not citizens of that state;
   2. A citizen may voluntarily decline any assistance offered for any reason if so desired;
   3. In case of disputes between WA states over this resolution, WACC shall have jurisdiction on a de novo basis.

Votes For: 8 768 (70.2%)
Votes Against: 3 722 (29.8%)

Implemented Sun 17 Dec 2023

[GA 703 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Repeal "The Charter of Civil Rights"
A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation.

Category: Repeal
Resolution: #35
Proposed by: The Ice States

Description: General Assembly Resolution #35 "The Charter of Civil Rights" (Category: Civil Rights, Strength: Significant) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: Reaffirming its long-held belief that minority groups ought not to be discriminated against based on arbitrary, reductive characteristics such as race, sexuality, religion, sedentary status or gender identity; and

Remembering the provisions of such resolutions as "Convention Against Genocide", "Defending the Rights of Sexual and Gender Minorities", "Language and Education Rights for Deaf Individuals", "Supporting People With Disabilities", "Protection of Apostates", "Freedom of Travel" and "Religious Freedom Protection", which establish strong protections against common forms of discrimination;

Believing, however, that "The Charter of Civil Rights" (hereinafter referred to as GA #35) fails to adequately protect minority groups against discrimination due to Article 1c, which exempts all discrimination from its protections should it be "for compelling practical purposes" without establishing any standard that it be essential for said purposes;

Recognising that this opens the doors to member nations claiming some "compelling practical purpose" and tangentially linking it to the discrimination in question, with some examples of potential discrimination which would thus be permissible under Article 1c cited below:

• The internment of individuals for belonging to a particular race or nationality on the grounds that their home nation is at war with the member nation in question, and that such internment would prevent espionage or other national security threats;
  
  
• Racially segregating public facilities based on the rationale it would deter said facilities' use for them to be shared with minority racial groups; or
  
  
• Denying housing to minorities during an economic recession on the grounds that it would result in the migration of existing homeowners in the area and therefore contribute to property value deflation;

Perplexed by the unclear standard of "unfair and unreasonable" established in Article 2a, either nullifying the compelling practical purpose exception when applying to eg private employment and housing, prohibiting such practices as businesses requiring translators and interpreters to be fluent in the relevant languages; or allowing a member nation to avoid the Article by claiming that such discrimination is in fact fair or reasonable;

Concerned by the frequent practice of citing GA #35 as a strong protection against discrimination when its provisions are in fact weak and exploitable, to the point that many members of the World Assembly have openly opposed anti-discrimination laws on the grounds that they are redundant under the ineffective, feel-good mandates of GA #35; and

Clarifying that nearly all of GA #35's intended effects not already mandated by World Assembly law would be effectively replaced by reinstating the protections against hate crime and discrimination based on race and related characteristics;

The World Assembly repeals the Charter of Civil Rights.

Votes For: 8 974 (73.9%)
Votes Against: 3 168 (26.1%)

Implemented Thu 21 Dec 2023

[GA 704 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Sustainable Aquaculture Protocols
A resolution to increase the quality of the world's environment, at the expense of industry.

Category: Environmental
Industry Affected: Agriculture
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Text: The World Assembly,

Noting its historical interest in regulating the fishing industry (GARs #199, #409), which has a clear impact on WA states that share maritime borders, as well as fishing fleets that cross borders;

Acknowledging that, with depletion of fish stocks and the development of fish farms (aquaculture) in some WA states, a clear need has arisen to regulate aquaculture to ensure sustainability and safeguard cross pollution into other WA states through connected bodies of water;

Thus desiring a common solution across the WA for WA states that engage in aquaculture; hereby:

1. Defines:
   
   
   1. "Aquaculture" to mean husbandry of aquatic organisms such as fish, oysters, crabs, prawns, and others in (at least a) partly artificial setting, and "aquaculture products" to mean produce from such husbandry;
      
      
   2. "FDRA" to mean the WA Food and Drug Regulatory Agency;
      
      
   3. "IAO" to mean the WA Independent Adjudicative Office;
      
      
   4. "WANC" to mean the WA Nautical Commission;
      
      
   5. "WHAMMO" to mean the WA Waterbody Health and Mitigation Management Organisation;
      
      
   6. References to "WA organs" refer to FDRA, WANC and WHAMMO;
      
      
   7. References to "such as" are merely as examples only;
2. Requires WHAMMO to:
   
   
   1. Develop regulations for mitigating the negative impacts of aquaculture, such as eutrophication, a buildup of excess nutrients, wastes in ecosystems, and other issues of concern, both to the WA state where the aquaculture takes place and any WA state sharing maritime borders or bodies of water with the said WA state, relevant to each state's physical and technological conditions;
      
      
   2. Fund research into improving sustainable aquaculture practices, such as feedstock for farmed fish, reduced use of antibiotics, disposal of effluents, and other matters of concern to the aquaculture industry;
3. Requires FDRA to:
   
   
   1. Develop regulations on safety levels on consuming aquaculture products, such as levels of pesticides and other chemicals in the products, that are tailored for all of the different sapient species inhabiting each WA state, and conduct ongoing tests from time to time on aquaculture products from each WA state to ensure that all WA states that engage in aquaculture meet all applicable regulations, whether such regulations are domestic or from WA organs;
      
      
   2. Develop regulations for labelling of aquaculture products (and to distinguish such products from wild-caught seafood, if applicable, as well as any products that are partially developed through husbandry), tailored for different sapient species in terms of origin nutrition, health benefits and potential risks of consuming aquaculture products, and for all such labels to be displayed prominently on or accompanying aquaculture produce either (1) sold within any WA state or (2) exported from any WA state;
4. Requires WANC to:
   
   
   1. WANC to develop regulations, based on the geographic features of locations where aquaculture takes place, to ensure that they are properly marked and do not impede maritime navigation;
      
      
   2. Provide advice to all WA states on security measures for aquaculture facilities;
5. Requires that all WA states that engage in aquaculture implement regulations specific to the physical characteristics of that WA state that:
   
   
   1. Actively minimizes discharge (such as effluent or excess nutrients) into waters, especially waters that are connected to other bodies of water in other WA states, if such discharge is deemed by WHAMMO to be undesirable for the said waters; and
      
      
   2. Regulate the use of supplies such as feed, chemicals and pesticides (in particular anything that may form residues in aquaculture products) to ensure the provision of healthy products to consumers;
6. Permits, if a WA state ("requesting state") shares a body of water or a maritime border with a WA state that engages in aquaculture ("responding state"), to expressly request for the responding state to implement measures to ensure that any issues regarding aquaculture in the responding state (such as releasing polluted waters) do not adversely affect bodies of water in the requesting state;
   
   
7. Clarifies that if the requesting state and the responding state fail to come to an agreement on matters related to clause 6, or if there are any disputes regarding decisions by WA organs, the IAO shall adjudicate on a de novo basis.

Votes for: 8 304 (73.64%)
Votes against: 2 972 (26.36%)

Implemented Sat 30 Dec 2023

[GA 705 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Procedural Rights of Defendants
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

Category: Civil Rights
Strength: Strong
Proposed by: The Steam-Gardens

Text: The World Assembly,

Noting that member states undertake criminal proceedings to determine whether someone accused of a crime is guilty of committing it,

Believing that the right of the accused to have and know their procedural entitlements and responsibilities is critical to safeguarding the integrity of such proceedings,

Dismayed that no current World Assembly resolution safeguards several quintessential rights, allowing for unchecked abuse of power and violation of procedural rights by officers and therefore resulting in unfair trials, and

Aiming to guarantee the rights of defendants in criminal proceedings while preventing law enforcement from abusing its authority;

The World Assembly hereby, subject to prior and standing WA legislation,

1. Defines, for the purpose of this resolution,
   
   1. a "defendant" as any person who is suspected of perpetrating a crime and has undertaken or is undertaking any criminal proceedings,
   2. an "officer" as a person who compels observance of or compliance with a World Assembly member nation’s laws, such as judges, police officers, and legal interrogators, and
   3. a "criminal proceeding" as any proceeding in the prosecution, conviction, or punishment of a person charged or to be charged with the commission of a crime, including police questionings and trials in court;
2. Declares that, in criminal proceedings:
   
   1. Defendants are entitled to:
      
      1. Refuse to answer an officer’s questions, without prejudice for any refusal,
      2. Provide an answer to questions they wish to answer, although false answers and answers which are proven to be deliberately incomplete to said questions may result in charges of perjury,
      3. Only be considered guilty of a crime when they have been handed down a guilty verdict by the court in relation to said crime, subject to national appellate proceedings as appropriate under relevant law, and
   2. Officers must not:
      
      1. Require a defendant to answer a question they do not wish to answer, although without preclusion of reasonable interrogation tactics,
      2. Punish a defendant for refusing to answer a question; nor
      3. Use lie detectors or other mind-reading technology on any person in their capacity as law enforcement officers;
3. Requires that officers inform defendants of all the relevant rights and regulations that the legislation of the World Assembly grants to those defendants in a way that the defendant understands; and
   
4. States that if a defendant is not informed in the manner required by clause 3, all evidence supplied by the defendant in the instant criminal proceeding up to the point that Article 3 is fulfilled may not be used as proof of the defendant's guilt in both the instant and all future criminal proceedings.

Votes For: 7 560 (65.6%)
Votes Against: 3 957 (34.4%)

Implemented Tue 2 Jan 2024

[GA 706 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Helplines for Victims of Domestic Abuse
A resolution to modify universal standards of healthcare.

Category: Health
Area of Effect: Healthcare
Proposed by: The Ice States

Text: Celebrating the World Assembly's history of addressing domestic abuse in member nations, through legislation such as "Protections for Sexual Assault Victims", "Addressing Domestic Abuse", "Prohibition of Honor-Based Violence", and "Sexual Autonomy Guarantee";

Noting, however, that in some member nations a substantial factor which prevents victims of domestic abuse from seeking or receiving help is insufficient access to resources for dealing with domestic abuse, such as insufficient access to specialised therapy for domestic abuse victims;

The World Assembly enacts as follows, subject to relevant past World Assembly law still in force.

1. Helplines: Every member nation must create, or ensure the operation of, one or more helplines for coping with maltreatment by a cohabitant, whether past or continued. These helplines collectively must promptly provide directly or refer users on request to free counselling for dealing with or recovering from maltreatment by a cohabitant.
   
   
   1. No cohabitant of a victim may use physical or other force in order to restrain or otherwise prevent said victim from accessing such helplines. Cases of violent crime must be treated as aggravated where the perpetrator attempted to so prevent their victim from accessing such services.
      
      
   2. No member nation, or administrative or political subdivision thereof, may penalise any individual for accessing or seeking to access such helplines.
   
   
2. Compliance support: Where a member nation can prove to the General Accounting Office that compliance with this resolution would pose a substantial burden to the finances, economy, or resources of that member nation, the World Assembly may directly support that nation's compliance with this resolution by, subject to that nation's consent, either (a) providing General Fund monies to that nation at a quantity sufficient to allow that nation to comply with this resolution without such a burden; or (b) directly establishing Section 1 helplines in that nation via the World Health Authority. Section 2a monies may not be used for any purpose other than funding compliance with this resolution.
   
   
3. Scope: No aspect of this resolution should be interpreted as standing in the way of further protections for victims of maltreatment by a cohabitant. Within this resolution, "cohabitants" of an individual includes intimate partners of that individual even if not physically living together.

Votes For: 10 717 (90.3%)
Votes Against: 1 149 (9.7%)

Implemented Wed 10 Jan 2024

[GA 707 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Civilian Prisoner Transfers
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

Category: Civil Rights
Strength: Mild
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Text: The World Assembly (WA),

Believing that prisoners' prospects upon release, if they are locked up in a foreign state, may be better off if they return to serve their sentence in their home state instead;

Believing that this may allow prisoners to benefit from matters such as removing cultural barriers, easing contact with family members, social support, and starting post-release activities more quickly,

Desiring a coordinated approach for transferring prisoners between WA states;

The WA hereby enacts as follows:

1. Definitions.
   
   1. "Civilian offence" means an offence not related to:
      
      1. national security, or
      2. service in a military, government, or diplomatic capacity, or
      3. piracy.
   2. "Custodial sentence" means, for convenience, all of the following:
      
      1. confinement at a correctional facility; or
      2. release to half-way houses or day releases; or
      3. parole.
   3. "Home state" means the WA state for which a prisoner is a citizen of at the time a request for a transfer is made, and the destination preferred by the prisoner.
      
   4. "Host" means the WA state where the prisoner is held.
      
   5. "Prisoner" means anyone who is:
      
      1. duly convicted of a civilian offence; and
      2. has exhausted or has voluntarily forfeited all avenues of appeal; and
      3. sentenced to a minimum custodial sentence of sufficient length to warrant a transfer, in the views of the WA states (and WA organs) involved.
   6. "WA organs" means all sub-divisions of the WA.
2. Transfers. So long as a host imposes custodial sentences for civilian offences:
   
   1. A prisoner may, at any time after starting their sentence, requests the host to permit the prisoner to transfer ("transfer") from the host to the home state to serve their sentence (or any remainder thereof).
      
   2. A host must promptly consider such a request, and if granted, contact the home state, which must also promptly consider such a request, and if granted, promptly arrange for the transfer to take place.
      
   3. A prisoner transferred to a home state is still required to serve their sentence according to the laws of the host, and subject solely to the pardon or parole laws of the host.
      
   4. A prisoner's transfer must be voluntary, and a prisoner may not be coerced by anyone to accept or decline a transfer.
      
   5. If a prisoner is also wanted for extradition to another WA state ("third state") for trial or for confinement, the host retains exclusive jurisdiction, over the extradition process (or whether the extradition takes place) after the prisoner is transferred.
3. Rejections and appeals.
   
   1. A home state may not reject a transfer request, unless it reasonably believes it is incapable of fulfilling such a request, such as a lack of prison space or differing levels of technological development.
      
   2. A host may not reject a transfer request, unless it reasonably believes that:
      
      1. The home state does not offer comparable rights and welfare for those in custodial sentences compared to the host, or
      2. The home state may mistreat the prisoner, or
      3. The home state does not have adequate facilities to confine the prisoner.
   3. Appeals on the rejections in clauses (3a) and (3b) are to the state that made the said rejections, subject to due process.
   4. A prisoner who is rejected for any reason may re-apply if there is a significant change in circumstances.
4. Assistance and fees.
   
   1. WA organs shall render such assistance as the home state deems necessary to transfer the said prisoner, such as helping to transit the prisoner through a warzone.
      
   2. The transfer is free of charge to the prisoner. The prisoner is not liable for food, lodgings and travel costs.
      
   3. If assistance from WA organs is required, it shall be paid for by the WA General Fund.
      
   4. If a prisoner is a citizen of more than one WA state, the citizen may request for transfer to any one of the WA states for which that prisoner is a citizen (and that WA state receiving the request is deemed the home state).
5. Clarifications. Subject to extant resolutions:
   
   1. A home state may not strip a prisoner of citizenship merely for applying for a transfer.
   2. The host must provide the full criminal records of the prisoner in the host to the home state if a prisoner is transferred.
   3. This resolution does not apply if:
      
      1. the prisoner is convicted of an offence that is a crime in the host but not the home state;
      2. if the home state and the host are in a formally declared state of war;
      3. the prisoner is subject to quarantine.

Votes For: 6 862 (56.2%)
Votes Against: 5 356 (43.8%)

Implemented Sun 14 Jan 2024

[GA 708 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

WA Misrepresentation Protocols
A resolution to restrict political freedoms in the interest of law and order.

Category: Political Stability
Strength: Mild
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Text: The World Assembly (WA),

Noting the esteem in which the WA is held throughout the multi-verse;

Noting the passing of GAR 334 and highlighting the need to protect the names, logos, and other identifiers of the WA from fraudulent misuse;

Affirming that awards, medals and prizes awarded by WA organs represent honor and privilege that should not be misused for profit;

The WA hereby enacts as follows:

1. Definitions.
   
   1. "GAO" means the General Accounting Office.
      
   2. "Individual(s)" means anyone who is part of a sapient species and are subject to the jurisdiction of a WA state.
      
   3. "Prohibited purposes" means (i) fraud, (ii) deception, or (iii) misrepresentation, in all cases requiring specific intent to harm or act to the detriment of another individual.
      
   4. "Registers" means physical and electronic registers of the following:
      
      1. Register of WA Awards;
      2. Register of WA UI;
      3. Register of WA Personnel.
   5. "WA Awards" means all awards, certificates, medals, and other similar honors duly issued by the WA in whatever form.
      
   6. "WA Personnel" means all current and previous employees and representatives of the WA.
      
   7. "WA UI" means all names, logos, mascots, uniforms, and other unique identifiers (UI) of the WA, designated by the WA as such from time to time, presented through verbal, physical, electronic, or other means.
2. GAO registers.
   
   1. The GAO is to maintain and update regularly the Registers defined in clause (1)(d)(i-iii).
   2. The said Registers are available for inspection at all times, and free of charge, through convenient physical and electronic means.
   3. The Registers for WA Awards and WA UI are available for inspection and enquiries by all individuals free of charge, regardless of whether they are subject to the jurisdiction of a WA state.
   4. The Register for WA Personnel is available for inspection and enquiries by the government of a WA state (or their sub-national governments) to verify the status of all WA Personnel, strictly on a need-to-know basis, subject to appropriate safeguards on personal data. Access shall be free of charge to the government of that WA state.
   5. The GAO may grant competent authorities of non-WA states access to the Register for WA Personnel, to facilitate diplomatic relations, subject to appropriate agreements and security measures.
3. WA unique identifiers.
   
   1. The Register for WA UI contains such identifiers that should be solely used by the WA (or its organs, or their representatives) to represent itself.
   2. The GAO is to register all WA UI as trademarks in all states. This is regardless of whether that state is a WA member or not, so long as the said state has such a registration regime, to the maximum extent possible.
4. Misuse of WA UIs. Each WA state is to make it an offence for indvidiuals under jurisdiction to:
   
   1. deliberately misuse any WA UI, for prohibited purposes; and/or
   2. misrepresent themselves, for prohibited purposes, as:
      
      1. WA personnel; or
      2. acting in the capacity of the WA when not duly authorized; or
      3. the recipient of an WA Award.
5. Clarifications.
   
   1. References to "the WA" means both the WA itself and all its committees.
   2. For clause (4), the burden of proof for an offence is placed on the prosecuting authority.
   3. The competent authorities of the relevant WA state shall have jurisdiction over this resolution within their own states and to determine any penalties imposed due to committing an offence under clause (4).
   4. For the avoidance of doubt, this resolution does not impede any rights to freedom of speech (including all rights related to political commentary, arts and satire) for the purpose of extant WA resolutions and the laws of each WA state.

Votes For: 8 014 (65.0%)
Votes Against: 4 314 (35.0%)

Implemented Thu 18 Jan 2024

[GA 709 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Repeal "Consular Rights"
A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation.

Category: Repeal
Resolution: #164
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Description: General Assembly Resolution #164 "Consular Rights" (Category: Civil Rights, Strength: Mild) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: The World Assembly,

Acknowledging the efforts of the target resolution, Consular Rights, to mandate requirements for diplomatic assistance to citizens abroad;

Noting however that following the passage of GAR 695, Dual Citizenship Arrangements, and GAR 703, Consular Protection Arrangements, as well as other citizenship related resolutions such as GARs 386, 552 and 686, the rights and responsibilities of diplomatic missions abroad to help their citizens, if such help is required, have been expanded considerably beyond the scope of the target resolution;

Further noting that, as a result, the target is serving no substantive material purpose in protecting the rights of citizens abroad not already detailed elsewhere;

Hereby repeals the target resolution, Consular Rights.

Votes For: 10 256 (90.1%)
Votes Against: 1 123 (9.9%)

Implemented Mon 22 Jan 2024

[GA 710 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Prevention of Hate Crime
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

Category: Civil Rights
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: The Ice States

Text: Whereas hate crime is a malum in se which member nations have a duty to protect their citizens against; and

Whereas the repeal of "The Charter of Civil Rights" has left an ominous silence regarding protections against hate crime;

The World Assembly enacts as follows.

1. Any violent or non-violent criminal act against an individual motivated by that individual's real or perceived holding or lack of an arbitrary and reductive characteristic, including but not limited to ethnicity, gender, race, religion, culture, disability, social background or sexuality, shall be classified as a hate crime in every member nation.
   
   
2. Where it can be shown, to the same standard otherwise required to show guilt for the relevant act, that an otherwise-criminal act was of the nature criminalised by Section 1, that fact must be treated as an aggravating factor in sentencing or other enforcement of the criminalisation of said act. Member nations must prohibit advocacy of violence criminalised by Section 1. Nor may any criminal law in a member nation discriminate in its criminalisation of an act based on a real or perceived arbitrary, reductive characteristic of the victim of that act.

Votes For: 6 864 (50.8%)
Votes Against: 6 637 (49.2%)

Implemented Fri 26 Jan 2024

[GA 711 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Repeal "Pesticide Regulations"
A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation.

Category: Repeal
Resolution: #376
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Description: General Assembly Resolution #376 "Pesticide Regulations" (Category: Environmental, Industry Affected: Agriculture) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: The World Assembly (WA),

Believing that strong environmental protections are important, especially where water resources are concerned,

Frustrated that "Pesticide Regulations" represents a flawed attempt to regulate pesticides, despite their potential harm to water resources;

Noting that the target resolution's definition of a "chemical pesticide" as any “chemical… to prevent or kill pathogens and non-sapient pests, and which is used to protect crops or other organisms” is overly broad and includes such things as:

1. antibiotics;
2. shampoo;
3. liquid soap; or
4. hand sanitizer;

Perplexed that, as a result, anyone who uses prescription antibiotics due to a flu bug or hand sanitizer are required to "act to prevent pesticide runoff with preventative measures, including but not limited to buffer zones, selective application and avoiding irrigation right after applying pesticides" despite the nonsensical nature of such rules;

Dismayed that the target's third clause on labelling thus applies to said substances as well, meaning that regular people are forced to rigorously label their spray bottles containing soap and vegetable oil;

Confused by the target's seemingly interchangeable use of "chemical pesticide," which it defines, and "pesticide," which it does not, which not only muddies the waters when it comes to actually implementing the target's mandates, but extends some of those mandates to pesticides that pose no risk to the surrounding environment;

Annoyed by the target's mandate that all "pesticide ingredients must be ones that are permitted for the intended use by the nation where the product is used," meaning that whether ingredients are legal are entirely at the discretion of a WA state and not based on scientific criteria, despite the availability of assistance from the Scientific Programme of the WA;

Flummoxed that the target's fifth clause does not limit the definition of "an accident involving pesticides," or even define the term at all, and requires members to "contact the neighboring nation's relevant officials, and offer assistance with possible clean-up measures" if such an accident happens "near the border of another nation," meaning that WA states could be forced to contact the officials of a neighboring WA state and offer assistance in the event that a homeowner living near their border drops and spills a container of environmentally friendly pesticide that leaves no harmful residue, or spills a bottle of hand sanitizer on their living room floor;

Noting that GA 223 "Transboundary Water Use Act," GA 441 "Convention on Freshwater Shortages," GA 453 "Preventing Groundwater Contamination", GA 645 "Responsible Handling Of Toxic Materials," and GA 705 “Sustainable Aquaculture Protocols” offer ample protection for water resources from the harmful effects of pesticide runoff, and reduce the risks of accidents involving pesticides causing any environmental damage;

Unconvinced that the target remains necessary in light of the passing of numerous better worded resolutions since the passing of this resolution;

Looking forward to future resolutions regarding food safety and other more pressing matters;

Hereby repeals "Pesticide Regulations."

Votes For: 10 476 (91.5%)
Votes Against: 975 (8.5%)

Implemented Tue 30 Jan 2024

[GA 712 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Reducing Food Contaminants and Residues
A resolution to enact uniform standards that protect workers, consumers, and the general public.

Category: Regulation
Area of Effect: Consumer Protection
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Text: The World Assembly (WA),

Noting the widespread trading of food between WA states;

Affirming the passage of related GARs such as 333 and 679;

Desiring clear standards on contaminants, pesticides, and other residues in food, to protect the well-being of sapient individuals, including both consumers and production workers;

The WA hereby enacts as follows:

1. Definitions.
   
   1. "Authority" means an entity designated by a WA state as in charge of formulating and enforcing the regulations. Such an authority shall be independent of other entities designated with responsibilities for promoting consumption or exports of food and feed.
   2. "Contaminants" means anything not intentionally added to food or feed during the production process.
   3. "Feed" means anything grown to be eaten by a non-sapient species.
   4. "Food" means anything grown to be eaten by a sapient species, including eating non-sapient species fed with feed. For this resolution, the definition of "food" excludes anything involving eating any sapient species, and also excludes anything involving cannibalism.
   5. "FDRA" means the WA Food and Drug Regulatory Agency.
   6. "Regulations" means all standards and requirements to be formulated pursuant to clauses (2) to (5).
   7. "Residues" means anything found in food or feed that remains from the production process, including any contaminants.
   8. "Residue limits" means appropriates limits for residues found in food and feed.
2. Residue limits. Each authority is to publish standards for residue limits for:
   
   1. Feed additives,
   2. Veterinary drugs;
   3. Pesticides;
   4. Fertilizers; and
   5. Other types of contaminants the authority deems necessary, whether naturally occurring or due to production processes, such as arsenic in rice, and inorganic tin in canned goods.
3. Reducing contamination. Each authority is to publish standards for reducing:
   
   1. Potential contamination as much as possible during all stages of the production processes of food and feed, both for the well-being of consumers of the food and feed, as well as for the well-being of any workers involved in the production process that may be exposed to the contaminants;
   2. Retention of pesticides in feed and food as much as possible.
4. Sampling and testing.
   
   1. Each authority is to publish standards in the sampling, testing and analysis of the presence of residues in both and feed.
   2. Each authority is to, from time to time, conduct randomized testing and analysis of the presence of residues in both food and feed to ensure compliance with the regulations.
5. Compliance.
   
   1. The regulations shall apply to all food and feed imported, distributed or sold in a WA state.
   2. If a WA state (say “state A”) produces and distributes its own food or feed, or imports its food and feed from another state, state A’s authority is responsible for ensuring compliance with the regulations of state A.
   3. The regulations are to be tailored to the sapient inhabitants (including multiple sapient species, if applicable) of that WA state to ensure their well-being.
   4. Additional regulations and standards shall be set if tailored standards are needed for sapient inhabitants in different stages of development, such as infants, or if a WA state is inhabited by multiple sapient species.
   5. Each authority is to review and update its regulations from time to time based on the latest scientific research.
   6. All regulations from an authority shall be publicly available free-of-charge through convenient physical and electronic means.
6. FDRA review.
   
   1. FDRA is responsible for reviewing all regulations set by each WA state from time to time to ensure minimum standards that are required to maintain the well-being of sapient inhabitants of that state.
   2. A WA state must provide full and complete details on sampling, testing and analysis data and any other information that FDRA requests for assessment by FDRA in terms of compliance with the requirements of this resolution.
   3. If a WA state is conclusively able to demonstrate to FDRA that it cannot comply with this resolution due to a lack of resources or technological capability, it may voluntarily elect to outsource such work to FDRA.
7. Clarifications.
   
   1. This resolution does not apply if a WA state does not have sapient inhabitants that consume food for their well-being.
   2. In this resolution, "production" of food involving meat specifically refers to all steps in the process after the slaughtering of the non-sapient species. It does not regulate other processes beforehand such as animal husbandry.
   3. Disputes between different authorities of the WA state regarding enforcement of regulations on food and feed shall be subject to the jurisdiction of FDRA, if it is not taken up by another WA organ pursuant to extant resolutions.

Votes For: 9 804 (87.8%)
Votes Against: 1 361 (12.2%)

Implemented Wed 7 Feb 2024

[GA 713 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Repeal "Standardised Passport Act"
A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation.

Category: Repeal
Resolution: #76
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Description: General Assembly Resolution #76 "Standardised Passport Act" (Category: Political Stability, Strength: Mild) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: The World Assembly (WA),

Noting that GAR 76, Standardised Passport Act, provided a basis for reasonably convenient travel between WA states;

Noting that, since the passing of this resolution, the WA has considerably expanded the rights for anyone below the age of majority (GAR 299), non-binary marriages (GAR 457), as well as the issuance of identity documents (GAR 686), dual citizenship (GAR 695) and consular protection (GAR 703);

Dismayed, however, that the target resolution explicitly states (in paragraph 3) that "foreign nationals, excluding diplomatic and consular officers, should abide by the laws of the nation in which they are present", creating the impression that diplomatic and consular officers do not need to abide by any laws and can go on criminal rampages at will;

Alarmed that the target resolution permits (in paragraph 6) "issuing nations to allow children under the age of majority, or a specific age that is lower than that of the age of majority, to travel on the passport of one or both of their parents", which creates the ambiguity of allowing children to either travel on or be included on a parent's passport, a practice that makes children more susceptible to abduction and trafficking if they are treated as merely an extension of an adult for purposes of passports;

Noting that the rights for diplomats to visit nationals overseas (in paragraphs 8 and 9 of the target resolution) when detained and other related rights have been expanded considerably by subsequent resolutions, including GA703 "Consular Protection Arrangements", making this resolution redundant in this aspect;

Looking forward to the WA approving an appropriate replacement for this resolution with regards to the standardization of passports;

Hereby repeals "Standardised Passport Act."

Votes For: 9 447 (83.6%)
Votes Against: 1 851 (16.4%)

Implemented Sun 11 Feb 2024

[GA 714 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Recognising Academic Qualifications and Skills
A resolution to promote funding and the development of education and the arts.

Category: Education and Creativity
Area of Effect: Educational
Proposed by: Markanite

Text: The World Assembly,

Recognising that many professionals seek to work across borders and would strongly benefit from international, mutual recognition of their qualifications;

Aware, however, that - in the absence of comprehensive regulation - some of these professionals may be denied access to the international job market for arbitrary reasons such as where they originally plied their trade; and

Convinced that fair, clear and non-arbitrary procedures for the international recognition of job titles and responsibilities must be enacted with due haste;

Hereby enacts the following provisions:

1. Every member state ("member state" is defined as any member nation or political subdivision which oversees professional qualifications) shall designate a singular body which shall determine whether individuals who are qualified to practice a particular profession in another country would be so qualified in that member state (hereinafter a "regulator"). No entity in any member state other than the regulator may make 'official' determinations in that member state.
   
   
2. Each regulator must:
   
   1. identify those professions which, by law, cannot be practiced in their nation without profession-specific qualifications (hereinafter "regulated professions");
   2. for each regulated profession, identify those overseas profession-specific qualifications which are as rigorous (meaning as thorough and as detailed) as, or more rigorous than, the equivalent qualifications in that nation (hereinafter "Article IIb qualifications"); and
   3. regularly update the lists of regulated professions and Article IIb qualifications, and publish the most up-to-date versions of those lists.
3. No person may be barred from practicing a regulated profession or regulated vocation in a member state, simply because they do not hold the necessary qualifications for that job, if:
   
   1. that member state's regulator deems the relevant profession-specific qualifications they hold overseas to be Article IIb qualifications, or
   2. they obtain the qualifications required to practice that profession, even if they do not hold any relevant Article IIb qualifications overseas.
4. Where a person seeks to practice a regulated profession in a member state, but their overseas qualifications are determined by that member state's regulator not to be Article IIb qualifications, they may appeal that determination to that regulator. Such appeals must be conducted fairly and without prejudice.
   
   
5. Member states may organise or subdivide their regulator offices to complement their system of government.
   
   
6. All member states are required to submit detailed information on the levels of qualifications in their education systems to their designated regulator, including:
   
   1. the types of qualifications that correspond to each level of qualification;
   2. the grading and degree classification system deployed in their member state; and
   3. changes to previously submitted information.

Co-authors: Tinhampton, The Ice States

Votes For: 11 395 (90.7%)
Votes Against: 1 174 (9.3%)

Implemented Thu 15 Feb 2024

[GA 715 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Repeal "Food and Drug Standards"
A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation.

Category: Repeal
Resolution: #64
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Description: General Assembly Resolution #64 "Food and Drug Standards" (Category: Social Justice, Strength: Significant) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

Argument: The World Assembly,

Believing that food safety is important,

Concerned that GA 64 "Food and Drug Standards" is poorly written enough that it manages to be both too weak and too overbearing to accomplish this goal,

Noting that the target handles compliance by charging the WA Food and Drug Regulatory Agency (WAFDRA) with "gradually" implementing reforms and "eventually" establishing regulatory agencies in members that lack them, without defining an actual timeframe for compliance, thereby opening the door to all sorts of procedural delays and bureaucratic shenanigans,

Annoyed at the target's creation of a quality grading system without actually specifying what goes into determining a product's level of "relative" quality beyond requiring the similarly vague "creation of international standards", failing to account for such factors as differences in sapient species, taste, or acceptable levels of chemicals in food;

Distraught at the target's requirement of penalties for "any businesses that attempt to evade safety standards upon their products" without limiting the scope of "safety standards," thereby requiring extensive WA involvement in the enforcement of everything from local food safety ordinances to a gas station convenience store chain ordering its locations to improve their sausage quality,

Horrified by delegating much of the enforcement to "extensive WA involvement," as the target leaves these penalties "at the discretion of the WAFDRA,"

Confused at what the target means by "appropriate legal consequences" for quality control facilities that fail in their duties, as well as what the target means by requiring the creation "an overall international standard" for national inspection facilities, and what exactly goes into this standard,

Fearful of the ramifications of the target empowering WAFDRA to "order the closure of any food and drug regulatory facilities that are found to repeatedly fail to succeed in ensuring the quality of the products being inspected; the closure shall be carried out by national law-enforcement," given that shutting down a facility inspecting lots of low-quality products and acting accordingly would mean shutting down an inspection facility for doing its job,

Believing that shutting down an inspection facility that actually fails at its job still wouldn't be an appropriate response if reforming its operations is an option, and

Noting the passing since this resolution of other related resolutions focusing on drugs, including GAR 582 (Access to Effective Medications) and GAR 659 (Medical Standards), and on food (GAR 713), and looking forward to several potential replacements to address these flaws that are in discussions in this esteemed organ,

Hereby repeals GA 64 "Food and Drug Standards."

Co-author: 9003

Votes For: 9 370 (76.5%)
Votes Against: 2 886 (23.5%)

Implemented Sat 2 Mar 2024

[GA 716 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Standardized Passport Arrangements
A resolution to restrict political freedoms in the interest of law and order.

Category: Political Stability
Strength: Mild
Proposed by: Simone Republic

Text: The World Assembly (WA),

Noting the WA's dedication to ease travel between WA states;

Believing that travel is easier if passports from different WA states can be authenticated to easily identify individuals, and that easy identification provides benefits to national security;

The WA hereby enacts as follows:

1. Definitions and declarations.
   
   1. "PASA" means the Passports, Nationality and Refugees Administration (PASA), which is hereby established as a committee of the WA.
   2. "Passport" means a travel document (in physical or electronic form) issued by a WA state (or by PASA, pursuant to the provisions below) to an individual for the purpose of identifying that individual for travel purposes.
2. Passport templates.
   
   1. PASA is to create standardized templates for passports. All passports issued by a WA state or by PASA must follow the said templates.
   2. PASA is responsible for translating all templates into the languages of the WA state (or its sub-national divisions, where appropriate).
   3. PASA templates shall be updated from time to time to use the latest privacy, security and authentication technologies.
   4. PASA may tailor templates for WA states that prefer to use inferior technologies, if requested by the said state.
   5. PASA may also tailor templates for different sapient species, if requested by a WA state.
   6. PASA templates may be provided to non-WA states, subject to bilateral agreements on protecting privacy, security, and technology.
3. Features of passports.
   
   1. Each passport validly issued to an individual shall contain pertinent information on that individual as deemed necessary by PASA.
   2. Each passport can include additional information that the said WA state deems necessary.
4. Entitlement to a passport.
   
   1. Each individual is entitled to their own separate passport, regardless of whether they are minors or are legally competent.
   2. Each WA state is responsible for issuing passports to individuals entitled thereof.
   3. No WA state may deny the right to be issued a passport to any of their individual citizens, nationals, or subjects, unless that individual is prohibited from exiting that state due to the laws of that state or extant WA resolutions.
   4. Each WA state must recognize a passport from another WA state as legally valid, provided that it can verify the authenticity of that passport, either with the issuing WA state or with PASA.
   5. Each WA state can charge a fee for issuing passports (or replacements) to any individual, with the fee not exceeding a full recovery of costs incurred for issuing that passport.
5. Emergency passports. PASA is authorised, at its discretion, to issue passports to individuals that are verifiably in dire circumstances, such as anyone:
   
   1. fleeing an active war, whether declared or otherwise;
   2. travelling as refugees or seeking asylum;
   3. rendered stateless by the collapse of a WA state; or
   4. rendered stateless as a result of an action by a state, regardless of whether that state is a WA state.
6. Powers of PASA.
   
   1. PASA shall have the right and the ability to authenticate passports with, for and on behalf of all WA states.
   2. PASA may also authenticate passports from non-WA states, subject to bilateral agreements.
7. Delegation.
   
   1. A WA state may request PASA to issue all of that state's passports on its behalf.
   2. PASA will only accept such a request if it determines that a WA state (i) lacks a functioning government or (ii) lacks the resources necessary to maintain such infrastructure.
8. Finances.
   
   1. PASA is to be paid for by the General Fund.
   2. All services from PASA are to be provided free-of-charge to end-users.
9. Jurisdiction.
   
   1. If anyone fails to obtain a passport from PASA pursuant to clause 5 for any reason, they may appeal to the Independent Adjudicative Office.
   2. Passports issued by PASA do not imply conferring citizenship, nationality or subject from any entity on any individual.
   3. This resolution does not interfere with a WA state's powers, subject to extant WA resolutions, regarding border controls, or to grant or remove citizenship and/or nationality from any individual.
   4. PASA is responsible for the interpretation of this resolution.

Votes For: 10 907 (77.9%)
Votes Against: 3 098 (22.1%)

Implemented Mon 11 Mar 2024

[GA 717 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Prisoner Financial Rights
A resolution to improve worldwide human and civil rights.

Category: Civil Rights
Strength: Mild
Proposed by: The Ice States

Text: Whereas the practice of financially penalising individuals for their incarceration, such as through "pay-to-stay" policies, is unjust; and

Whereas this practice often keeps former prisoners in a cycle of debt, thereby actively impeding the reintegration of prisoners into society while causing many prisoners to return to crime;

The World Assembly enacts as follows.

1. No individual may suffer any financial penalty, or otherwise be required to provide any payment, where that burden would not exist but for their incarceration and is intended to fund their incarceration or otherwise recuperate costs associated therewith.
   
   
2. Creditors must fully relieve all debts owed by an individual as a result of a required financial penalty or payment of the nature proscribed by Section 1. Member nations must terminate bankrupt status, and expunge records thereof not purely for the purpose of administrative record-keeping, where such status is as a result of any debt of the nature proscribed by Section 1.
   
   
3. Should a provision of this resolution contradict a past World Assembly resolution still in force, that previous resolution takes precedence.

Co-author: Sanctaria

Votes For: 9 366 (70.4%)
Votes Against: 3 938 (29.6%)

Implemented Fri 15 Mar 2024

[GA 718 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]

[Imperium Anglorum]

Ban on Sexual Abuse of Animals
A resolution to restrict civil freedoms in the interest of moral decency.

Category: Moral Decency
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: The Ice States

Text: Recognising the inherent inability of an animal to meaningfully communicate consent to sexual acts with sapients, making sexual acts with animals amount to sexual assault and thus animal abuse; and

Further noting the demonstrable negative effects of such abuse on animals, which often sustain significant, long-term injuries as a result of sexual abuse;

The World Assembly enacts as follows, subject to relevant past World Assembly legislation still in force.

1. Every member nation must prohibit the act of a person having sexual intercourse with an animal. Every member nation must also prohibit the act of a person causing any form of physical harm to an animal for the sexual gratification of that, or any other, person.
   
   
2. The term "animal", in Section 1, includes any species with the ability to control its movement and excludes any sapient species as defined by World Assembly or other applicable law. No part of this resolution should be interpreted as inherently addressing sexual acts with dead animals or parts thereof. A member nation may delegate the duty of enforcing Section 1 to its respective administrative or political subdivisions, so long as that Section is enforced throughout the entirety of that member nation's jurisdiction.

Votes For: 11 599 (92.7%)
Votes Against: 918 (7.3%)

Implemented Tue 19 Mar 2024

[GA 719 on NS] [Official Debate Topic]