NationStates Jolt Archive

Everything you need to know about writing resolutions, writing repeals, proposals that have been deleted (and reasons why), and resolutions that have passed!

Table of Contents
A. Steps To Make A Proposal
B. Activity of UN delegates/members
C. UN Debating!
D. United Nations Organizations
E. UN FAQ's
F. UN Regions List

Steps To Make A Proposal
There are many nations out there who are ejected from the UN for submitting a proposal before reading what you should make proposals about, such as ones that propose a change in game mechanics, offensive proposals, joke proposals, RL proposals, etc. Make sure you don't get ejected by reading this thread first!
Before Making A Proposal [READ THIS BEFORE SUBMITTING OR GET EJECTED FROM UN] (http://forums2.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=282176)


In order to write a resolution, there are certain requirements to do so. Check this thread out to get familiar with submitting proposals.
United Nations Resolution Writing Guide (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=342360)

Check this thread out as well, to get familiar with what not to do, such as putting your proposal in a wrong category, and submitting a proposal that would be illegal (one that suggests changing the mechanics of the game).
A Case Study of Deleted Proposals (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=330452)

If there is a proposal that you think shouldn't be a part of the UN, check this thread out to know exactly what you need to do to try and repeal it.
A Repeal Writing Guide: A Commonsense Guide to Writing Repeals (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=365040)

And finally, here are all of the resolutions that have been passed by your fellow UN members. Check it out before you propose a new one, because it might already be a part of the UN. One good example is "Banning Landmines", which can be found here: Banning Landmines (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=402735)
And all of the passed resolutions are here:
Passed N.S.U.N. Resolutions (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=357572)

Activity of UN delegates/members
Why aren’t regional delegates more active?
This question has been asked time and time again. If you have a proposal that you would like everyone else to see, politely post it in the UN forum, as well as telegramming other UN nations about the positive nature of your resolution, and a link to the discussion of it in the UN forum. If you want the UN to get more active, then you have to do something about it, rather than sitting back and complaining about it.
More responsibility from the part of Regional Delegates (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=399648)
Proposals need more attention from UN delegates (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=400921)


UN Debating!
Check this thread out for a helpful guide to debating: http://datanation.com/fallacies/index.htm

United Nations Organizations
This website is an organization of everything there is to know about the United Nations. Currently, Mikitivity is working on detailed descriptions to the UN FAQ's, and statistics for the UN, such as the amount of UN members, UN proposals passed, etc. Check it out!
United Nations Organizations (http://s3.invisionfree.com/UN_Organizations/index.php)

UN FAQ's
This is the UN description that is displayed in the FAQ section before you even enter the forum.

What's the United Nations?

The UN is the world's governing body. It proposes and votes on resolutions, which are then binding on all member nations. In other words, it's a hot-bed of political intrigue and double-dealing.

Your nation can join the UN, but it's not compulsory. As a non-member, you are unaffected by any UN decisions. So if you're happy looking after your nation and don't want to dabble in international politics, don't join up.

If you're ready to take your nation onto the world stage, though, the UN is for you.

So I'm a UN member. Now what?

The UN is your chance to mold the rest of the world to your vision, by voting for resolutions you like and scuttling the rest. However, it's a double-edged sword, because your nation will also be affected by any resolutions that pass. (You can't just obey the resolutions you like and ignore the rest, like real nations do.)

The first thing to do is inspect the current UN resolution at vote (if there is one). If you agree, vote for it; if you don't, oppose it. Depending on how ardent you feel, you can also debate the issue in the forum, or wire telegrams to other nations.

Second, you can endorse other UN members, which is a way to signal that you like their policies, or their leader, or their cool flag, or whatever. The nation with the most endorsements in each region is appointed Regional Delegate (see below), and gets to wield additional influence.

Finally, you can propose your own resolutions. If approved, these go in the queue to be voted on by the entire UN. You may, however, be required to possess a minimum number of endorsements first.

How come some nations get more votes than others?

Regular UN member nations each get one vote. Regional Delegates, however, get an additional vote for every UN member in their region who endorses them. This can makes Delegates from large regions quite powerful.

Delegates also have the unique ability to approve proposals, deciding which of them will become resolutions to be voted on by the entire UN, and which are silently dispatched into the night never to be heard from again. A proposal needs 6% of all Delegates to approve it to become a resolution.

How can I become a Regional Delegate?

Gain the support of other nations in your region. This is obtained via endorsements: once per day, the nation with the most endorsements in each region is appointed Regional Delegate.

You need at least 1 endorsement to become a Delegate.
How do I endorse another nation?

First, note that you can only endorse another nation if:

* You are a UN member
* They are a UN member
* You are located in the same region

If all these are true, the nation you want to endorse will have an "[Add Your Endorsement]" link in its United Nations Activity section. Click that!

How do I approve a proposal?

You must be a Regional Delegate. If you are, then you will have an option to approve proposals when you view the list. By allowing unapproved proposals to fall by the wayside, Regional Delegates make sure that the UN only votes on worthy issues.

I have more than one nation. Can they all join the UN?

No. You may only have one nation in the UN at any given time. To enforce this, UN member nations must supply an e-mail address. If you are in fact caught with having more than one UN nation, all of your nations are ejected, and you will receive a telegram by "Nationstates Moderators" saying so. If you have a massive amount of nations in the UN (an example would be if you had ten nations in the UN), not only would they be ejected, but they will most likely be deleted. It's safe just to not to it.

What if I sneak them in using other e-mail addresses?

First up, don't. This is against the rules, and other people will be annoyed with you when they find out. It's a low, underhand thing to do. And the chances of getting caught are pretty high: the game uses four different methods to detect cheaters.

Nations that rort the UN in this way will be expelled and prevented from re-joining. If you do it with multiple nations, they'll all be deleted, including your main nation. If you're especially annoying, you'll be banned from making any new nations, too. But don't make me do that.

Can I make a UN resolution to add war to the game?

No. Well, you can, but I'm still not going to add war. The UN is not there to request new game features. I admit this would be nice: propose a change, vote it through, and BAM! The game gets better. But then, I would have to make the BAM! part happen, so this won't fly. It would require me to spend so much time rewriting game code that I wouldn't be able to pursue my real passion, which is earning enough money to buy food, and staying sane.

UN resolutions are a way to bring all member nations into line on a particular issue; be that environmental, democratic, free trade, or whatever. Don't suggest game improvements there. They just clutter up the place. And they make people think, "Hey, yeah, that would be cool! Why doesn't that bum Max Barry get off his ass and do that?" I get e-mails.

So, besides war, I can submit any resolution I want?

No. There are actually a few rules regarding what is considered an acceptable proposal. The UN takes itself very seriously (as in real life) and doesn't like nations submitting inappropriate proposals.

Cogitations' Case Studies, which is continuously updated a good example of what not to do (which still happens a lot), shows you exactly what you shouldn't do when making a proposal.
A Case Study of Deleted Proposals (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=330452)


There are two common mistakes inexperienced proposal contributors make:

* The first is not to have read the full rules before submitting a proposal.
* The second common mistake is to put forth a proposal which is not entirely within the NationStates world. UN proposals cannot address the rules or mechanics of the game, nor can they ask for new features. Proposals should also not address events, things, or people in the "Real World".

Finally, all proposals are bound by the same rules of etiquette as the rest of the site.

UN Regions (Active in UN Affairs)
Anarchists
Anarchy (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Anarchy) --28 UN Members--
Cannabis Island (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Cannabis_Island) --5 UN Members--
Free Thought (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Free_Thought) --7 UN Members--

Socialists/Communists
Alliance of Socialist States (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Alliance_of_Socialist_States) --17 UN Members--
Anticapitalist Alliance (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Anticapitalist_Alliance) --91 UN Members--
USSR (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=USSR) --57 UN Members--

Liberals/Centrists
Belgium (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Belgium) --34 UN Members--
Canada (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Canada) --114 UN Members--
Democratic Underground (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Democratic_Underground) --7 UN Members--
Equilism (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Equilism) --88 UN Members--
Europe (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Europe) --Hundreds of UN Members--
Fanama (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Fanama) --9 UN Members--
Island Nations of Aramir (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Island_nations_of_aramir) --2 UN Members--
Juxtaposition X (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=display_region/region=Juxtaposition_X) --24 UN Members--
Mercia The Next Generation (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Mercia_The_Next_Generation) --7 UN Members--
Nationstates (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=NationStates) --Hundreds of UN Members--
Oceania (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=display_region/region=Oceania) --5 UN Members--
Scotland (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Scotland) --31 UN Members--
The Balkans (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=The_Balkans) --19 UN Members--
The Kingdom of the Midlands (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=display_region/region=The_Kingdom_of_the_Midlands) --2 UN Members--
The Trinity Sea (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=display_region/region=The_Trinity_Sea) -- 2 UN Members--
Wysteria (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Wysteria) --81 UN Members--
Zhaucauozian Friendship (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=display_region/region=Zhaucauozian_Friendship) --8 UN Members--

Conservatives/Capitalists
Antarctica (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Antarctica) --21 UN Members--
Capitalist Alliance (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Capitalist_Alliance) --6 UN Members--
Capitalist Paradise (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Capitalist_Paradise) --2 UN Members--
Conservatopia (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/page=display_region/region=Conservatopia) --30 UN Members--
Gatesville (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Gatesville) --Hundreds of UN Members--
Libertarian Paradise (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Libertarian_Paradise) --3 UN Members--
Middle East (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Middle_East) -- 25 UN Members--
Monarchy (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Monarchy) --14 UN Members
North America (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=North_America) -- 62 UN Members--
PEEL (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=PEEL) --18 UN Members--
Texas (http://www.nationstates.net/cgi-bin/index.cgi/target=display_region/region=Texas) --110 UN Members--

Actually I've slowly been creating a more traditional "Frequently Asked Questions", where there are questions and detailed responses to those questions:

http://s3.invisionfree.com/UN_Organizations/index.php?showforum=6

Input is certainly welcomed. I'm starting work on the differences between daily issues and UN resolutions.

Actually I've slowly been creating a more traditional "Frequently Asked Questions", where there are questions and detailed responses to those questions:

http://s3.invisionfree.com/UN_Organizations/index.php?showforum=6

Input is certainly welcomed. I'm starting work on the differences between daily issues and UN resolutions.

That's definitely a great accomplishment, and has a great amount of potential. Would you mind if I registered there and helped out a bit?

.::BUMP::.

Much added.

Sticky this, please.

That's definitely a great accomplishment, and has a great amount of potential. Would you mind if I registered there and helped out a bit?

I'd be honored! :)

Just start posting there. Tomorrow night I hope to get the TPP added to the UNO with Gwenstefani being the moderator for that sub-forum / area.

Excellent work Euroslavia. :) I'd add my voice to the call for this to be stickied. Just one thing to add:

The FAQ is not an IC resource and should not be used as such. ;)

Excellent little index of useful information, with a title that should hopefully snag the simpletons. The Dark Realm of Unnormalcy is U.N. active (and fairly liberal) at the moment (and behind the repeal of "The Global Library"), though we have few members as of now. Can you add the region?

Is this meant to replace the set of sticky's at the top of the UN forum?

I think it's a great idea.

Mousebumple's Monkey Island should be in the region list, as should Gatesville. I would also ask that you include The Isle of Lesbos, if it doesn't get nuked in the next day or so.

I second the request for this to be sticky'd.

.::BUMP::.

Looks like your thread got the Seal of Sticky Approval from one of our local friendly mods.

G'job Euroslavia!
^.^

Is there any forum or rules site that shows how much a UN resolution will effect individual nations?
For example how much the UNWODC's catagory of proposal would raise taxes or how Gun controls catagory would effect political freedoms.

Is that breakdown available for people to see somewhere?

Is that breakdown available for people to see somewhere?
The specifics of the code that run the site are not published anywhere. If you knew what all UN resoltions and issues did, this game would be reduced to number-crunching. Admins do not consider that a desireable result, so you will not be seeing official numbers.

Excellent work Euroslavia. :) I'd add my voice to the call for this to be stickied. Just one thing to add:

The FAQ is not an IC resource and should not be used as such. ;)

Size corrected in this quote. Otherwise, it's annoying large.

It may not be an IC source, but you still must abide by it when making proposals.

The specifics of the code that run the site are not published anywhere. If you knew what all UN resoltions and issues did, this game would be reduced to number-crunching. Admins do not consider that a desireable result, so you will not be seeing official numbers.

But Cogitation has pointed out that UN resolutions will not always impact all nations to the same degree.

I believe he stated that a Strong resolution will have a more significant impact on the opposite end of the political spectrum than centralist nations, whereas a Mild or Significant resolution will tend to move all UN members in a more uniform sense.

But I totally agree. Part of the magic of life is we don't really know how things are going to turn out in advance.