International Concord Charter

The International Concord Charter.

Text of the Charter of the International Concord

Preamble

We the sapients of the International Concord determine to:

- Save future generations from the sorrows of war

- Reaffirm Sapient rights, assuring that everyone has the dignity and worth deserved to them

- Establish respect and enforcement for the various treaties, and for any other form of international law

- Unite our strength to maintain international peace and security

- Employ International Force to ensure the following of international law and protection of rights

Section One: Functions

The functions of the International Concord are:

1. To maintain International Peace and Security through collective measures to the removal of such threats
2. To ensure that the principal of equal rights and self-determinations of the sapients is ensured
3. To achieve international Co-Operation in solving international Problems of any form, promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms;

Section Two: Principles

The principles of the International Concord are:

1. Sovereign equality upon all the members of the International Concord.
2. All members shall fulfil in good faith the obligations assumed by them in accordance with the present Charter.
3. All members shall settle their international disputes by peaceful means, in order to ensure that the international peace, security and justice is not endangered, excepting in instances as determined by international law to justify the use of force.
4. All members shall refrain from the use of threat or use of force against the political independence of any state.
5. All members shall give the International Concord assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the current Chart, refraining from giving assistance to anything that goes against it.
6. The International Concord Members need to ensure that the nation states which do not participate in the International Concord still abide by these principles, and so all members shall limit relations with non-members, and non-members shall remain subject to enforcement.
7. Nothing in the Charter shall authorise the International Concord to go and intervene against domestic jurisdiction and law of any Member, except in such cases as otherwise specified.

Section Three: Membership:

A nation state which is deemed legitimate by the majority consensus of the members within the International Concord, as determined by a public vote called during general assembly, may be admitted to the signatory of this charter and thereby formally recognized a member.

Section Four: Committees:

In the International Concord shall be henceforth established the following Committees:

Subsection One: General Assembly

Acceptably referred to as The General Assembly or The Assembly The Assembly is composed of a seat for every member of the International Concord, being the only body in the IC with universal membership, and it decides, by a plurality vote:

- The Four (4) Temporary members of the Security Committee

- All of the members of the Other Committees

- All of the judges in the International Court (With assent from the Security Committee)

- The Ratification of New Members

- The Ratification of General Treaties and Measures

Subsection Two: Security Committee

The Security Committee is composed of nine (9) members, four (4) of them being temporary (non-permanent) and elected by the Assembly and the other five (5) being composed of the the permanent members consisting of the following nations: Sutonnese Republic; Ceironian Union; Fazarian Kingdom; High Kingdoms of Alaxia; Holy Tempest Empire. Should any of these nations collapse or otherwise exit the body, the assembly may recognize a successor or vote to replace the committee seat from nominees chosen by the Security Committee at time of decision. The four (4) non-permanent members have two (2) year terms with a two (2) consecutive term limit. The Security Committee will contribute a number of soldiers and supporting equipment equal to a percent of the nation’s military to a standing peacekeeping force. This percent is to be decided by a vote per member every two (2) years by the Security Committee. This force may be deployed at a majority vote by the Security Committee in accordance with all ratified agreements of the IC for the enforcement of international law and to offer civilian aid or protection of refugees.

A member of the security committee may abstain from sending their components of the peacekeeping forces to the enforcement of a given resolution, should that member state decide as such when the security committee votes to deploy forces.

Any single member of the security committee may veto measures relating to military activities and International Concord interventions into member states.

Subsection Three: Economic Committee

The Economic Committee is to be composed of ten members who shall appoint, on majority agreement of the constituent members, ten (10) representatives. It shall be the duty of these ten (10) to oversee the regulation of trade in international waters, ensure the relative value of the currencies of different nations be recorded consistently and accurately, and to solve any disputes arising therein.

Subsection Four: People’s Rights Committee

The People’s Rights Committee is to be composed of ten (10) member nations who shall be obliged to manage, in the interest of global life, the raising and distribution of medical, food, and other aid and relief to those people who are suffering from crises, be they constructed, accidental, or natural.

Section Five: International Court:

Subsection One: The Judges

The Court shall consist of eleven (11) judges which shall be elected by the majority of The Assembly, nominated by the Security Committee, and may be removed at any time by a two-thirds vote of The Assembly, or otherwise serve no longer than twenty years.

Subsection Two: Powers

The Court shall have the power to try, find guilty, and punish, any individual found to be in direct violation of international law. The punishment decided upon may not exceed the maximum sentencing of the nation from which the convicted originates, and all punishment must be proportional to the crime committed.

Subsection Three: Enforcement

People from any nation may, upon completion of rigorous training, be admitted into the International Concord Police, who shall, in cooperation with the law enforcement present in a given state as recognized by the IC, or, failing this, in cooperation with the peacekeeping forces of the security committee, apprehend and detain individuals accused of being in violation of any agreements which are enforced by the IC, that the accused may be brought to a fair trial.

Section Six: Treaties and Agreements:

This body, the International Concord, shall recognize and enforce a number of treaties or other agreements, generally referred to as measures, as ratified by the security committee and/or the general assembly in accordance with the subject matter of the treaty and its concerns to the international community. Any measure passed only by the security committee may be overturned on a four-fifths vote of the general assembly. Any measure passed by vote of the general assembly may be overturned on majority vote of the security committee.

Section Seven: Signatories

Below Shall Be Listed all Nations who agree to the above and thereby join the International Concord:

Ratified, August 2457

Section Eight: Amendments

Subsection One:

Any proposal or measure which has failed to be passed, either by veto, overturn, or by losing a vote, may not be proposed again for a period of one year. This includes both proposals of identical wording, and those of wording as to produce the same outcome as the original proposal. The International Court will determine these later cases when applicable.

Sec. 8, Subsec. 1: Approved, November 2503

Controversies

Sections One and Two

In January of 2505, The Alsaran Representative made a Petition to the International Concord International Court (ICIC), arguing on the grounds that Security Committee Resolution 2504-08-1 violated Sections One and Two of the International Concord Charter. The Judges ruled against Alsara, and allowed Resolution 2504-08-1 to stand, citing; "the functions and principles have never been grounds for prosecution" and adding "functions and principles are also not actual rights". The Alsaran Representative proceeded to attempt to pass Proposal 2505-02-1, which would have overruled the court's decision, however, this proposal failed to gain majority approval from the General Assembly.

After the failure of Proposal 2505-02-1, the speaker of the assembly noted, "the failure of this measure does not make these sections irrelevant, it merely shows a failure to change their relevancy."

Non-Amendment Changes

A number of De Facto changes to the Charter have also been ratified by the General Assembly and/or Security Committee, often opposed by outside observers and members who believe the charter should be strictly followed. These have largely arisen from the loose definition of "amendment" as is pertaining to the charter.

Expanding Powers of the Court

Resolution 2501-11-1, passed with 92.8% approval of the General Assembly, Granted the International Court the authority to begin investigations without direct General Assembly approval, requiring a Resolution to bar any investigation, as opposed to requiring one to start it. It also granted the court the authority to settle any cases between two or more sovereign nations.

Resolution 2502-02-2, passed with unanimous approval of the General Assembly, further expanded on the above, by creating the Court of Interstate Disputes, to settle conflicts between member states of the International Concord

Resolution 2505-05-1, passed with 75% approval of the Security Committee, made the Court the official interpreter of the Charter

Some have questioned the body's ability to make these changes without amending the charter's outlined powers of the Court.

Section Four

Resolution 2506-01-6, passed with 85.7% approval of the General Assembly, overrode Section Four, Subsection One, Article One, (which stated the General Assembly would determine the temporary members of the Security Committee via Plurality vote), making all future temporary ICSC votes use a Ranked Choice voting system. Despite this, it was not formally an amendment, which some have criticized.