NationStates Jolt Archive

Be gentle folks, it's my first attempt at this. I just submitted this proposal and I would appreciate any support you could give it.

An Act to Cure Arthritis

We, the Member states of the United Nations:

Do agree that Arthritis is a debilitating and destructive disease that plagues millions of people worldwide of all ethnic and social backgrounds, men, women, boys and girls of all ages.

Do agree to establish within the United Nations an agency committed to the discovery of a cure for Arthritis in it’s many forms. This agency, to be titled “The United Nations Agency for the Cure of Arthritis”, or “UNACA”, will be supervised by a director to be appointed by the Secretary General for 3 year terms. UNACA will be comprised of 500-750 scientific and medical personnel as decided by the director, based on the submission of names from the Health Regulatory bodies of individual nations that wish to contribute.

Do agree to share information accrued so far in regards to genetic, causal and empirical tests and discoveries in the pursuit of a cure for Arthritis. This includes the designs and trial study information of drugs developed in the race for a cure to this date. All patents currently in force shall be transferred to UNACA, with a one-time fee to be paid to the patent holder, to be decided by an unbiased arbiter, appointed by the Secretary General. All information concerning individuals will be kept in utmost confidence and under tight security.

Do agree that when a cure is found, the United Nations will distribute to all nations of the world, regardless of UN membership, the information to create and administer the cure, except in the case of those countries that are not developed enough or financially able to produce the drug(s) themselves. In this case, UNACA will use its resources to produce and deliver the drug(s) to the Health Regulatory bodies of those nations.

And lastly, do agree to implement UNACA within 18 months of the final approval of this proposal, as voted on by the member nations of the UN.

These measures are taken for the betterment of all mankind, as anyone at anytime may fall prey to this disease


Voting ends: Fri May 28 2004
Please give it some thought and some advice.
Thanks.

Although I support the idea of this proposal, I'm never quite sure what category such things should go in.

This kinda makes NationStates rules enforcement on this point a bit difficult (at least for me). However, I have no plans to delete the proposal.

--The Modified Democratic States of Cogitation
"Think about it for a moment."
NationStates Game Moderator

Not bad for a first timer, lol :D

I have one question...

You are asking for all nations to pay a one time payment to fund this, but provide the result to all nations, even those not in the UN?

Exactly why would my nation pay for something that others not wanting to be a part of the UN get to benefit from?

What happens if this get's passed by the Delegates and then a TON of nations drop out of the UN expecting it to pass? They still get the meds developed, but they aren't part of the UN so they don't pay. They sign back up as soon as this passes and BOOM! Those of us staying in get nailed even worse.

Why not ammend this to include joining nations must pay as well? This will allow for continued funding beyond the initial amount and will allow the program to continue longer without tapping UN nations on the shoulder asking for another payment?

Just a suggestion.

Respectfully,

President - Incorporated States of Republican Ideology

I concede the point that Republican Ideology has made, to a point. The whole idea of the proposal is to get the job done for all mankind, whether you can afford it or not. Isn't that what a world body should be about?
Can I ammend a proposal? Do I submit a new proposal? or Can I submit a new proposal that would add or ammend the first one?


Also, Cogitation, that was the best place to put it that I could find :)

Please keep this going, as the subject matter is important and somewhat personal for me. :)
Thanks
NewfoundCana

The government of Cabinia has the following concerns:

1) That a central repository of all research is not necessarily the best option. Many researchers exploring the problem from many different angles produces more satisfactory results in a timelier manner, as different facilities make different breakthroughs, but share them among the intellectual community. A single research facility with a central leader can easily become locked into a single-minded approach and miss out on opportunities.

2) That arthritis, while a worthy target, is far from the only disease deserving of such a concerted effort, and is probably less worthy than many other life-threatening diseases such as cancer or AIDS. The inclusion of an agency for the study of arthritis would cause an international clamour for other agencies studying other diseases, and Cabinia fears that this bill will set a precedent that could grow out of control, and the costs to member states skyrocket with less return on investment than a decentralized research model.

It is for these reasons the government of Cabinia is not in support of this measure.

The government of Cabinia would support a modified version of this proposal that supports a UN research center on diseases of all types, funded by UN member states and such non-member states as volunteer to contribute, whose discoveries are not subject to patent or copyright protections, but exist as public domain. Research outside this research center could continue, and be subject to current protections as before.

Hi Cabinia.
I appreciate your input.
In regards to your first concern, the pooling of resources and different mindsets under one umbrella where an exchange of ideas, possibilities and theories, in my opinion, can only be a good thing.

In regards to your second concern, I realize that Arthritis is not as terminal a disease as AIDS for example, but it should be noted that complications from Arthritis can include eye problems, as well as various bowel problems. Also, there is a precedent for targeting one disease in the UN, as evidenced by the Global Aids Initiative resolution, passed by a vote of 10250-2005. This resolution includes:


1) The United Nations begin a global effort to educate and enlighten the populations of seriously affected countries as to the nature of AIDS as well as how to take preventative measures, 2) The HIV testing of national and international blood banks and pools be made mandatory in all member nations in order to cut down on the rate of transmission of this disease through transfusions, 3) The establishment of a fund, contributed to by all member nations, which shall be used to purchase necessary drugs and distribute them at low cost to the populations of seriously afflicted countries, 4) Economic incentives such as tax write-offs be offered to multinational pharmaceutical companies to allow AIDS medications to be bought in bulk and at lower than market prices


Thanks.
NewfoundCana

Dear UN Delegates.
I request that you seriously consider this proposal, and if approve of it make your democratic mark by voting for it at the UN proposal site. It is a worthwhile cause and effort. Please give the UN membership a chance to vote for or against it.
Thank you.
NewfoundCana

Only 24 hours to get this done, fellow delegates.
Any suggestions to improve it even?
NewfoundCana

Great idea, but the UN can't support non-members. They chose seperation and they have to deal with it themselves. Sorry. Otherwise, it's a good idea, I think I'll vote for it.

- The United States of "Ashoria", "Ashoria" (region), "The World"; UN member and UN Delegate (of "Ashoria")

Great idea, but the UN can't support non-members. They chose seperation and they have to deal with it themselves. Sorry. Otherwise, it's a good idea, I think I'll vote for it.

- The United States of "Ashoria", "Ashoria" (region), "The World"; UN member and UN Delegate (of "Ashoria")

Fellow UN delegates.
This is the last day for voting on this proposal.
Please take a look and vote for it, and if you can't vote for it, please tell me why?
NewfoundCana