NationStates Jolt Archive

UNDERSTANDING that all people have needs of certain items such as food or medicine, and the needs of the people trump the need for individual nations to fill their own coffers;

REALIZING these certain items should be unrestricted in the way of trade to better serve the people of the World Assembly;

UNDERSTANDING that the World Assembly Resolution #26 (titled “World Assembly Economic Union”) addresses these concerns but does not address them as specifically as desired;

FURTHER realizing that no proposed resolution can amend, edit, build upon, or change in any way passed Resolutions;

THINKING the most efficient way to increase the free trade of these items is to eliminate tariffs on such items;

UNDERSTANDING that it would be beyond the power of the World Assembly to force any nation to actively trade with any other nation;

HEREBY:

1) DECLARES the following items necessary for life;
A) Medicinal goods defined such as any substance or combination of substances presented as having properties for treating or preventing disease in citizens; or Any substance or combination of substances which may be used in or administered to citizens either with a view to restoring, correcting or modifying physiological functions by exerting a pharmacological, immunological or metabolic action, or to making a medical diagnosis
B) Foodstuffs defined such as any substance or product, whether processed, partially processed or unprocessed, intended to be, or reasonably expected to be ingested by humans with the intended purpose to address hunger and nourishment concerns; Food shall not include medicinal products
C) Water suitable for drinking

2) ELIMINATES all trade tariffs between WA members on all items necessary for life as defined by this Resolution;

3) ADVISES WA nations to lower or eliminate tariffs on good coming from non-member nations, but understands that non-member nations may impose tariffs on their own and so leaves this decision to individual member nations;

4) EXEMPTS all other products not defined as necessary for life from this Resolution and leaves the issues of tariffs on such products to the discretion of individual member nations;

5) REAFFIRMS an individual nations right to refuse to trade at all, and as such this Resolution will not force any nation to trade against its will;

6)DECLARES this Resolution legal, beneficial, and necessary with or without World Assembly Resolution #26 (titled “World Assembly Economic Union”), and if ever World Assembly Resolution #26 (titled “World Assembly Economic Union”) is repealed, this Resolution stands on its own merit;


This draft takes into account the existing WA Resolution regarding trade, and does not augment the previous resolution, nor does it contradict it. This trade can stand alone if that resolution is ever repealed, and as it exists now this proposal will still fit within the law regarding Resolution 26.

Resolution can be found at this link http://www.nationstates.net/92206/page=WA_past_resolutions/start=25 for your reference in case you would like to check.

This draft takes into account the existing WA Resolution regarding trade, and does not augment the previous resolution, nor does it contradict it.

However, clause 2 does duplicate it, and that renders your entire proposal illegal.

We don't think so. The existing Resolution sets up the WATC so that it can work towards the elimination of tariffs over time.

This resolution would do that now for items that are deemed necessary, while not having any effect on other trades.

We don't think so. The existing Resolution sets up the WATC so that it can work towards the elimination of tariffs over time.

This resolution would do that now for items that are deemed necessary, while not having any effect on other trades.
That's just it though, WAEU establishes a regimen by which all tariffs will be reduced over time through a process determined by the WATC. It doesn't make exception for "unless someone wants to lower certain tariffs immediately".

WAEU covers all goods, services, raw materials, commodities and labor, including medicinal goods, foodstuffs and water. I'm sorry but as written your proposal contradicts WAEU.

David Watts
Ambassador
The Dominion of New Leicestershire

We don't think so. The existing Resolution sets up the WATC so that it can work towards the elimination of tariffs over time.

This resolution would do that now for items that are deemed necessary, while not having any effect on other trades.

It still could be seen as duplication though. On the safe side, get a moderator to rule on it

-Ariovist Lynxkind, Ambassador

It still could be seen as duplication though. On the safe side, get a moderator to rule on it

-Ariovist Lynxkind, Ambassador

How do I get a moderator to rule on it? And that was the original intent of posting the redraft to the forums, so I could make sure it wasn't in fact illegal, because we worked very hard to address an issue without having to repeal a well-intentioned law for only one specific issue.

Whether or not the proposal is illegal, we will steadfastly oppose it.

By removing tariffs but not removing subsidies or quotas, or other protectionist mechanisms, this will not create a free market, but a distorted one, and in particular distorted towards large, prosperous nations that can afford vast subsidies. Further, the staples it deals with are exactly the kind of essential materials that nations might need to secure a supply of during a time of economic crisis.

But even if the above were not true, our opposition is procedural: this proposal preempts the WATC round. If your nation feels certain goods should be more freely traded than others, that's a reasonable position, but it's one your Trade Representative, or Foreign Secretary, or Finance Minister, or whoever, should be making to the WATC. Your nation is not so special that its trade demands should be given an entire proposal to their own: otherwise, we'd need 10,000 proposals, one for each nation, something that would take us over 140 years to vote on.

The existing Resolution #26 set up a mechanism to allow nations to make their cases for international trade policies to an impartial body. That is a fair and reasonable process, and it is one all nations should abide by.

-- Dr Lois Merrywether
WA Ambassador
Quintessence of Dust, Delegate of Wysteria