NationStates Jolt Archive

Honored Ambassador,

The United Nations Association -- Mikitivity would like to conduct a survey to feel out the NS UN forum’s interest in various UN resolution categories. A previous survey was conducted and has been analyzed in the UNA White Paper 2005-01 (http://pweb.netcom.com/~mierzwa10k/una/una-200501.pdf). This survey is designed to test to see if the opinion of nations has changed since the past survey. These results will be archived and shared with UN members and non-members in order to facilitate better proposal writing.

Since national opinions are subject to change, this survey is limited for 30-days and will be conducted again at a future date.

As your schedule permits, please respond to the poll included with this survey. These responses are general, but comments (in the form of a post) are most welcomed and will be reviewed and shared along side the poll results. I think you’ll be pleased with the graphics we plan to share based on these survey results!

Background
(taken from the official UN description of Free Trade and Social Justice resolutions):


Free Trade
A resolution to reduce barriers to free trade and commerce.

Social Justice
A resolution to reduce income inequality and increase basic welfare.

These are almost exactly opposed types of resolutions. Both affect Economic freedoms. "Free Trade" increases Economic freedoms while "Social Justice" reduces Economic freedoms. In addition, "Social Justice" also increases government spending on welfare and healthcare (though "Free Trade" does not have an opposite effect). Economic freedoms primarily discuss how much regulation there is on business/industry or how much government spending goes to helping poor/sick people. Total Economic freedom is Laissez-faire Capitalism. Zero Economic freedom is a completely government-controlled economy. Creating a Food and Drug Administration in all UN member nations, or creating a Securities and Exchange Commission in all UN member nations is imposing a mild form of Economic control, and therefore a mild reduction of Economic freedoms; you're imposing restrictions on what businesses and industries may do and you're moving away from a completely-uncontrolled Laissez-faire system.

In terms of Economic Freedoms, "Mild" versions of either category will push nations in a particular direction, but only as far as the center. Stronger versions will push nations towards a more extreme end of the spectrum.


A printer friendly copy of all 15 UN Social Justice resolutions (passed and failed) is available at the UNA archive:

http://pweb.netcom.com/~mierzwa10k/una/SJ.pdf

Here is a chronological list of the 15 Social Justice resolutions that have been brought to the UN floor to date:

Education for All (#3)
UN Taxation Ban (#4)
Required Basic Healthcare (#17)
‘RBH’ Replacement (#20)
Global AIDS Initiative (#32)
The Rights of Labor Unions (#38)
World Blood Bank (#55)
The 40 Hour Workweek (#59)
Refugee Protection Act (#65)
Needle Sharing Prevention (#67)
The Sexes Rights Law (#69)
Reformed Literacy Initiative (#79)
NS HIV AIDS Act (#84)
UNWODC (#96)
Universal Library Coalition (#97)

The question:
How likely are you to support a UN Social Justice Resolution?

Always (We supported all of them)
Very Likely (We supported 75% to 100% of them)
Likely (We supported 50% to 75% of them)
Unlikely (We supported 25% to 50% of them)
Very Unlikely (We supported 0% to 25% of them)
Never (We supported none of them)
other – please explain

Thank you,
Janet Van Dyne
Chairwoman, United Nations Association -- Mikitivity

For those of you trying to remember how you voted, your vote may be recorded in the following voting record thread:

http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=344311

If you've never added your voting record to that thread, please feel free to join in. There is a blank ballot in the second post in the thread, and if you copy it, you may begin! :)

The Confederated City States has supported roughly 60% of the SJ resolutions, with a total of 9-5-1 (Y-N-A).

I clicked the wrong button. s/b 25-50%.

Wait, does the above list include failed proposals that were endorsed by 6% of delegates?

I clicked the wrong button. s/b 25-50%.

Wait, does the above list include failed proposals that were endorsed by 6% of delegates?

Anything that reached the floor is included in the above list. It just so happens that in the case of SJ resolutions, that every SJ resolution (repeals of SJ excluded) that has reached the UN floor has passed. However, several SJ resolutions just barely squeaked by and one has since been repealed.

FYI: I'll start a poll for repeals either tomorrow or Saturday if all goes according to plan. I like to space things out in order to catch newbies, so they can vote in all the similar polls at the same time. More votes, yields a more significant sample. :)

Yeah, I'm the "other". I voted for both of the past two Social Justice proposals since I liked the UNWODC resolution (and its proposer), and I contributed to the ULC resolution. That said, Krioval so rarely tosses a "social equality" issue to its citizens that we would appear to be totally against Social Justice proposals on general principle. Take a look at the resolution "Global Security" and imagine the look of absolute horror on the face of every industrial leader in Krioval plus half the government. Of course, the only thing we would be more inclined to oppose would be environmental resolutions, which we hate almost without exception.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Krioval is extremely unlikely to vote for additional Social Justice proposals any time in the near future unless they're just this side of perfection.

The Nomadic Peoples of AnarchyforRevan have, and will always, oppose UN interference in any matter and as such have, and will always, vote against any UN resolutions. We realize we may not be UN delegates (since we are the only UN member nation within our region), but this is our opinion regarding any UN resolutions, including those regarding Social Justice.

May Your Surveys Always Be Accurate,
First Citizen A

PS-In retrospect, we do support resolutions that repeal previous resolutions, but that is it. That's the sole exception. Good day.

I don't judge UN resolutions any more based on their category, I judge them based on their merit and circumstance.

Again, category is rarely a factor in Ecopoeia's consideration of resolutions. That said, we tend to support 'Social Justice' proposals on the proviso that they are well-crafted (of course) and genuinely socially just. It ought to be a no-brainer, but you never know with some voters...

Mathieu Vergniaud
Deputy Speaker to the UN

0%, seeing how I'm not in the UN and can't stand it.

Likely (we supported 50% to 75% of them)

Max Barry and my friend had an argument Max then banned him we should leave that to the administrators this isnt a resolution but while we'er charging things why not that

I wanted to thank everybody that has replied thus far. The previous Social Justice survey had only 47 votes, and this one is currently at 59 responses and next week I plan to send out telegrams to random delegates hunting for more. :)

*bump*

With 81 replies, we are approaching breaking the 100 reply mark (which makes it easier to analyze the results). Thanks! :)

As a moderately socialist nation, Nargopia is very likely to support a Social Justice resolution.

*bump*

This is the first of this round of survey's and is *close* to ending. I'll be using the data in all of the surveys when I return in June (Mai ist Mikitivity Frei).