NationStates Jolt Archive

After looking through many of the older UN resolutions, I realized that a large number of them have several problems which need to be addressed. These range from minor problems (i.e. such as spelling and grammar) to major flaws, such as making something illegal or making something mandatory without providing guidelines to how that should be accomplished.

I also feel that many of the proposals made early in the history of NationStates do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of current UN members (as seen in the recent trend of repeals). My reason for writing this is to ask if people would support a bill to repeal all UN resolutions that were passed prior to January 1st, 2004. Here is a list of the bills in question (the bills that are absent from this list have already been repealed):

UN Resolution #2 - Scientific Freedom

UN Resolution #4 - UN taxation ban

UN Resolution #6 - End slavery

UN Resolution #7 - Sexual Freedom

UN Resolution #8 - Citizen Rule Required

UN Resolution #9 - Keep The World Disease-Free!

UN Resolution #10 - Stop privacy intrusion

UN Resolution #11 - Ban Single-Hulled Tankers

UN Resolution #12 - Gay Rights

UN Resolution #13 - MANDATORY RECYCLING

UN Resolution #14 - CHILD LABOR

UN Resolution #15 - Protect Historical Sites

UN Resolution #18 - Hydrogen Powered Vehicles

UN Resolution #19 - Religious Tolerance

UN Resolution #20 - 'RBH' Replacement

UN Resolution #21 - Fair Trial

UN Resolution #22 - Outlaw Pedophilia

UN Resolution #23 - Replanting Trees

UN Resolution #24 - Metric System

UN Resolution #25 - The Child Protection Act

UN Resolution #26 - The Universal Bill of Rights

UN Resolution #27 - Due Process

UN Resolution #28 - Free education

UN Resolution #29 - The IRCO

UN Resolution #30 - Common Sense Act II

UN Resolution #31 - Wolfish Convention on POW

UN Resolution #32 - Global AIDS Initiative

UN Resolution #33 - No Embargoes on Medicine

UN Resolution #34 - Oceanic Waste Dumping

UN Resolution #35 - Stop dumping - Start Cleaning

UN Resolution #36 - Freedom of Humor

UN Resolution #37 - World Heritage List

UN Resolution #38 - The Rights of Labor Unions

UN Resolution #39 - Alternative Fuels

UN Resolution #40 - Banning the use of Landmines

UN Resolution #41 - END BARBARIC PUNISHMENTS

UN Resolution #42 - Increased Access to Medicine

If there is a lot of support for my idea I will draft a proposal, but if it is passed I feel that some of the repealed resolutions should be rewritten in a clearer way and voted on again.

No, you misjudge the prevailing mood at the moment, most of the repeals are being conducted against obsolete legislation and the repeal of the Solar Panels Resolution was conducted with the support of its author.

May the blessings of our otters be upon you.

Leonard Otterby
Ambassador for the Republic of Compadria to the U.N.

Most of the older resolutions are obsolete as well. Here are three examples:

United Nations Resolution #7 - Sexual Freedom
"...unless it is neccesary to enquire about the afore mentioned activities for medical reasons (e.g. if the individuals wish to give blood etc.)."

The "etc." should have been clearly explained. Such vagueness causes problems.

United Nations Resolution #8 - Citizen Rule Required
"This is a resolution to require all nations to grant self-rule to all citizen on some level. Local, Regional, or National is no matter, just so long that all citizens have some say and control over the way they are governed. These measures would promote international peace and serve as a deterent to the formation of so called "rouge nations" that to this day threaten all nations."

'On some level' is not clear enough. According to this bill, people can be oppressed as long as they can vote on one tiny little thing.

United Nations Resolution #9 - Keep The World Disease-Free!
There is no explanation as to where the funds to purchase a toilet, bathtub/shower, washbasin, and vaccinations comes from. There is also no mention of who is responsible for paying for the labor to install said items, do all the plumbing, or give out the vaccinations.

My reason for writing this is to ask if people would support a bill to repeal all UN resolutions that were passed prior to January 1st, 2004.
You can't remove multiple resolutions with one repeal. They must be repealed individually.

Originally posted by Yeldan UN Mission;
You can't remove multiple resolutions with one repeal. They must be repealed individually.

Is that a gameplay or philosophical issue? If it's a gameplay issue then there's nothing anyone can do about it (or is there?) However, assuming YUNM's objection is philosophical, I agree with it. I don't believe that simply because something is old, that it is worthless. The democracies of many states were founded before the birth of anyone alive today, yet they work with the consent of most of the population.

Though we support the repeal of many of these resolutions, a blanket repeal of all is both infeasible and opposed by the Socialist Republic.

Tşärls Lorĕns
Third Alphin of the Socialist Republic of Xanthal

I think that most of the old resolutions are poorly-worded, ill-conceived, and, in many cases, really very poor pieces of legislation.

Moltan Bausch jumped down from his very, very high horse, and strode off into the sunset.

OOC: However, aside from the fact that multiple repeals are technically impossible, not to mention illegal, this idea is in itself flawed. Firstly, some useful pieces of legislation would be wiped. Secondly, it ignores many poor resolutions post-2003. And thirdly, it seems to ignore the fact that - well, in my opinion - slowly tweaking the legislative collection to suit one's needs/opinions/desires is part of the game, and hence fun. Yes, many of them are absymally constructed. But simply wiping them all away removes much of the point of what UN legislators do.

I also feel that many of the proposals made early in the history of NationStates do not reflect the opinions and beliefs of current UN members (as seen in the recent trend of repeals).
Certainly if none of them reflected the current state of the UN, we would already be repealing those resolutions?
I rather doubt that not reflecting current UN views is the issue.

I will not support any repeals of the following...

UN Resolution #7 - Sexual Freedom
UN Resolution #10 - Stop privacy intrusion
UN Resolution #12 - Gay Rights
UN Resolution #14 - CHILD LABOR
UN Resolution #19 - Religious Tolerance
UN Resolution #21 - Fair Trial
UN Resolution #22 - Outlaw Pedophilia
UN Resolution #25 - The Child Protection Act
UN Resolution #26 - The Universal Bill of Rights
UN Resolution #27 - Due Process
UN Resolution #28 - Free education
UN Resolution #29 - The IRCO
UN Resolution #31 - Wolfish Convention on POW
UN Resolution #38 - The Rights of Labor Unions
UN Resolution #41 - END BARBARIC PUNISHMENTS

My mistake, I didn't know that resolutions could only be repealed one at a time.

I don't believe that simply because something is old, that it is worthless. The democracies of many states were founded before the birth of anyone alive today, yet they work with the consent of most of the population.
I suggested that all of them be removed only because it would be a lot quicker than trying to vote on them individually. Also, there is a problem with your analogy: the democracies you speak of were written clear enough that an actual government could be run based on it. That isn't true of many of the UN resolutions. The US constitution doesn't just say, "People have rights" and leave it at that.

Certainly if none of them reflected the current state of the UN, we would already be repealing those resolutions?
I rather doubt that not reflecting current UN views is the issue.
How many people take the time to go back and read 25 pages of UN resolutions? Probably not many.

Tekania, many of those resolutions were poorly written. I think we would be better of rewriting them to make them clearer.

UN resolution #10 - Stop privacy intrusion
"We feel alarmed by the increasing intrusion of privacy by the governments in the world. Therefore, we propose that legislation is passed by each UN member that all personal communication, including, but not limited to..."

The "but not limited to" part needs to be fixed.

UN resolution #12 - Gay Rights
"We, the People's Republic of Kundu and the other peoples of the world wishing for the preservation of freedom and the respect of all hereby resolve that all member nations of the United Nations must pass laws protecting people from discrimination in all parts of life. We also resolve that gay marriages be protected and endorsed by law in the member nations."
'Passing laws to stop discrimination' should have been explained better.

UN resolution #13 - Mandatory Recycling
That costs money, and the resolution doesn't explain where it is supposed to come from.

UN resolution #18 - Hydrogen Powered Vehicles
"We, the people of Kibombwe, propose that every nation should start developing hydrogen powered cars. We have polluted the air for too long -- it needs to stop. By passing this resolution we will be able to accompish these three things. "
It just says that nations should develop hydrogen powered cars. It doesn't explain how, who pays for it, and there is no goal of any kind (i.e. use only hydrogen powered cars by a certain year).

UN resolution #19 - Religious Tolerance
There is no clear outline of what each government should do.

UN resolution #20 - 'RBH' Replacement
Again, no outline for a government to follow. It says a lot of things that UN member nations should do but doesn't go into detail. That's like having a law that says you shouldn't kill people without actually stating that you can't.

Has it occurred to you that many resolutions are deliberately vague? This allows for OOC individual/IC national interpretation. In any case, there are many resolutions in that list I would never consider repealing, for any reason.

Either way it does not affect Praetoria Novus, we only follow the resolutions in the way that we interpret them, and this varies from the most vague adherence with those we agree with to the outright ignoring of those resoultions we don't agree with.