Charter of the International Security and Commerce Organisation

Preamble

WE THE PEOPLES OF THE INTERNATIONAL SECURITY AND COMMERCE ORGANISATION DETERMINED

•	to save succeeding generations from the scourge of nuclear war, which so many times has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and

•	to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and

•	to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and

•	to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,

AND FOR THESE ENDS

•	to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and

•	to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and

•	to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and

•	to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,

HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS

Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of Aberfeldie, Masoa, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the International Security and Commerce Organisation and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the International Security and Commerce Organisation.

Article 1
The Purposes of the International Security and Commerce Organisation are:

1. To maintain international peace and security, and to that end: to take effective collective measures for the prevention and removal of threats to the peace, and for the suppression of acts of aggression or other breaches of the peace, and to bring about by peaceful means, and in conformity with the principles of justice and international law, adjustment or settlement of international disputes or situations which might lead to a breach of the peace;

2. To develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples, and to take other appropriate measures to strengthen universal peace;

3. To achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, affiliation, language, or religion; and

4. To be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.

Article 2
The Organisation and its Members, in pursuit of the Purposes stated in Article 1, shall act in accordance with the following Principles.

1. The Organisation is based on the principle of the sovereign equality of all its Members.

2. All Members, in order to ensure to all of them the rights and benefits resulting from membership, shall fulfill in good faith the obligations assumed by them in accordance with the present Charter.

3. All Members shall settle their international disputes by means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered.

4. All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state, or in any other manner inconsistent with the Purposes of the International Security and Commerce Organisation.

5. All Members shall give the Organisation every assistance in any action it takes in accordance with the present Charter, and shall refrain from giving assistance to any state against which the Organisation is taking preventive or enforcement action.

6. The Organisation shall ensure that states which are not Members of Organisation act in accordance with these Principles so far as may be necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security.

7. Nothing contained in the present Charter shall authorize the Organisation to intervene in matters which are essentially within the domestic jurisdiction of any state or shall require the Members to submit such matters to settlement under the present Charter; but this principle shall not prejudice the application of enforcement measures if formal assistance is sought by the legal ruling government.

Article 3
1. Any nation willing to join the International Security and Commerce Organisation must begin a topic in the Recruitment/Membership forum in which the request is made using the following criteria.

2. Any nation willing to join the alliance must take a Pledge of Allegiance to the Organisation. 3. The Pledge reads as follows: I, __________ of the nation of ___________ Pledge my Allegiance to this alliance, the International Security and Commerce Organisation. I will abide by her laws, follow her where she leads me, and take part in no other alliance but her. 4. Any nation wishing to join the Organisation must not be involved in any other alliance, except as holding diplomatic relations with them as a non-member.

Article 4
1. The nation’s details must be submitted including: a) Nation name								b) Nation ruler c) Current government type						d) Team Colour e) Resources (optional)

2. The nation will then be asked for its reasons for wishing to join.

Article 5
1. Once the above has been completed, the nation must sign the Charter. This signature is legally binding, and indicates the said nation agrees with and will uphold the laws of the Charter. 2. This signature is then recorded as being witnessed by a current Member.

Article 6
1. The nation has now become a legal Member of the International Security and Commerce Organisation. Any laws broken in the admission of a Member will be dealt with as outlined in Chapter VI.

2. A Membership Request may be denied by an Upper Council Member without given reason at any time before the Request is accepted.

Article 7
1. The highest level of authority within the Organisation is the Upper Council, consisting of the 5 most influential and important Members of the alliance. 2. The Council President leads the Council, and therefore, the Organisation. He has most of the power as detailed in Chapter III.

3. The Minister of Defence heads the Ministry of Defence, which deals with any military threat to the Organisation and its Members with force if required.

4. The Minister of Finance heads the Ministry of Finance, which deals with all trade and aid offers directed to the Organisation as a body, or any Members that request assistance with trade or aid offers.

5. The Minister of Foreign Relations heads the Ministry of Foreign Relations, which deals with diplomacy with and recruitment of foreign nations. 6. The Minister of Maintenance heads the Secretariat, which deals with the upkeep of all forums, websites and minutes of the Organisation.

7. All major decisions must be made unanimously by the entire Upper Council. A major decision is one which directly affects all Members of the Organisation.

Article 8
The second highest level of authority in the Organisation is the Lower Council, consisting of the 20 most promising up-and-comers in the Organisation. 1. Five Junior Ministers of Defence will carry out the orders of and advise the Minister of Defence.

2. Five Junior Ministers of Finance will carry out the orders of and advise the Minister of Finance.

3. Five Junior Ministers of Foreign Relations will carry out the orders of and advise the Minister of Foreign Relations.

4. Five Secretaries will carry out the orders of and advise the Minister of Maintenance.

5. In each Department of the Lower Council, the Junior Ministers and Secretaries will be given a number from 1st to 5th, with 1st being the highest ranking Junior Official and 5th being the lowest.

6. In an election, only the 1st Junior Official can be elected into the Higher Council.

7. A Member of the General Assembly may only ever be promoted to 5th Junior Official.

8. Junior Officials are given their position by the relevant Minister. That Minister may promote Members to his Ministry from the General Assembly and demote Members from his Ministry to the General Assembly at his will. He can also promote and demote Members within his Ministry.

9. In the case that an official complaint has been made, the Council President may cancel any promotion or demotion found to be grossly unfair and in violation of this Charter.

Article 9
The lowest level of authority, where the majority of nations will reside, is the General Assembly of Nations.

1. Once a Member is admitted, he will take a place in the General Assembly, unless a higher position is vacant and there is no other Member to fill it.

2. If a Member in the General Assembly wishes to rise to a higher rank and no position is vacant, he must request an interview with the head of his Ministry, who will determine if the Member is more suitable for the position.

3. A Member of the General Assembly can only take the place of 5th Junior Official, unless this prejudices Section 1.

Article 10
1. An election may only take place if either an Upper Council Member or a Challenger requests one. After an election is called both parties will have 7 days to lobby.

2. A Challenger is any 1st Junior Official who wishes to take the place of the head of his Ministry or an Upper Council Member who wishes to become Council President.

3. An election can only take place once every two months or longer for that position only.

4. All Members’ votes count as a single vote.

5. In the case of a draw, the election bid fails.

6. Voting will be held in the Elections Forum, in the Topic of that Election. A vote is cast by putting down the name of the voter and who they vote for.

7. Voting is not compulsory. Secondary accounts such as administration or moderation accounts may not vote.

8. An election lasts for 7 days. After that no more votes can be cast and the votes are tallied.

9. For an election bid to pass, the challenger must have over 50% of the votes.

10. In the case the election bid passes, the ex-Minister will take up the position of 5th Junior Official of the relevant Ministry, unless this prejudices Article 9, Section 1 or the new Minister wishes to otherwise promote him. All other relevant Junior Officials should be promoted to make space should it be required.

11. In the case the election bid passes for the position of Council President, the ex-President will take up the position of the Minister who replaces him. Any other reshuffling should be taken care of through regular channels as denoted in this Charter.

Article 11
1. There are four Ministries altogether, the Ministries of Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs and the Secretariat.

2. The responsibility of the Ministry of Defence is to plan for war and direct attacks. In wartime, below the Council President, the Minister of Defence is the single most important Member of the Upper Council, taking precedent in decision making over all other Ministers. The colour of the Ministry of Defence is red.

3. The Ministry of Finance is responsible for all money handling within the alliance and with other alliances or nations. If an aid or trade offer is made to the dissatisfaction of the Ministry, it must be cancelled. The colour of the Ministry of Finance is green.

4. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is responsible for all diplomacy outside of the alliance. Any interaction between the Organisation and an external nation or alliance must be made through the Ministry. If it is requested, an alliance member may hand over its diplomatic relations to the Ministry. The colour of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is blue.

5. The Secretariat is responsible for the management of the forums (with Minister as Administrator and Junior Ministers as Moderators ), the upkeep of the wiki and any other internet sites regarding the Organisation, as well as the keeping of minutes when necessary and the keeping of alliance-related information. The colour of the Secretariat is orange.

Article 12
1. Upon gaining Membership in the International Security and Commerce Organisation, one’s nation must cease all wars it is currently fighting that were started unprovoked by the Member. A Member has a three day grace period to end such wars once they have joined the alliance. If they are requested, reparations must be paid.

2. A member of the International Security and Commerce Organisation must not declare war on another nation unless provoked or told to do so by the Minister of Defence. Attacking any inactive nation is strictly prohibited regardless of grounds.

3. Members of the International Security and Commerce Organisation are allowed to purchase Nuclear Weapons for the singular purpose of self-defence. Nuclear weapons may only be used if a Member is attacked unprovoked. However, a nuclear weapon may be launched in defence of a fellow alliance Member. A nuclear weapon may also be launched in the case that the Minister of Defence orders a nation to do so.

4. If a member of the International Security and Commerce Organisation is attacked it is the duty of all other members to aid that member and if possible declare war on the attacking nation.

Article 13
1. The Council President is the head of the Upper Council and the alliance. Any order he gives to another Member must be obeyed without question, unless the said Member is a member of the Upper Council.

2. Any order given by an Upper Council Member must be obeyed without question, unless the said Member is a member of the Upper Council. If the order is given to a Lower Council Member, an order given by the Minister of the Ministry the Lower Council Member belongs to takes precedence.

3. Any order given by a Lower Council Member must be obeyed without question, unless the said Member is a member of the Upper Council or a member of the Lower Council of equal or greater rank. If an order is given to a Lower Council Member, an order given by a Member of the Ministry the Lower Council Member belongs to of equal or greater rank takes precedence.

4. A Member of the General Assembly is not permitted to give orders to any other Member, regardless of rank or position.

Article 14
1. A Member of the Organisation may belong to any team colour he wishes, if he so wishes to belong to a team colour. No Member of the alliance shall be prosecuted for having a different team colour to anybody else.

2. A Member of the Organisation may have trades with any nation he wishes to trade with of any team colour unless it is stated by the Upper Council that sanctions have been placed upon that nation.

3. A Member of the Organisation may aid and be aided by any nation he wishes to so interact with unless it is stated by the Upper Council that sanctions have been placed upon that nation.

4. A nation may not be prosecuted for having a Government Standing that is not in accordance with that of any other nation. While the Organisation promotes a peaceful and kind manner of government, there are no laws against having a certain Government Position.

5. A nation may not be persecuted for having any specific Government Type or National Religion. While the Organisation promotes a democratic government and all religions, there are no laws against having a certain Government Type or National Religion.

6. All nations are free to govern their nations as they wish so long as it does not come into conflict with any of the above stated laws. This means nations are also permitted to choose their own tax rate, peace/war preference, improvements, flag, et cetera.

Article 15
1. All Members must have an account on the Organisation Forums with the same name as the ruler of the Member nation.

2. A Member of the Organisation must be an active member of the International Security and Commerce Organisation Forums. All members must try to view and take part in the Forums at least once a month, with Lower and Upper Council Members contributing much more often.

Article 16
1. The alliance’s punishments are to be considered like a spectrum. All levels have no certain boundaries and can overlap. Notice of punishment must be given on the Forums in the appropriate forum.

2. An offence which is reported to a higher body may result in a higher punishment. If a rule is broken, all Members are encouraged to report it if it is severe. A punished Member may wish to appeal his punishment. Appeals are made to the Upper Council.

3. There are seven levels of punishments. The bottom level may be enforced by any Member. Levels 6 and 5 may be enforced by Lower Council Members and above. Levels 4 to 1 may be enforced by only the Upper Council due to their severe nature. The punishment is decided upon by the reporting body unless it has no jurisdiction to do so.

4. Level 7 is the most lenient punishment, and may be enforced by any Member. A Level 7 punishment requires a verbal warning for their offence.

5. Level 6 is a very lenient punishment, and may be enforced by only Lower Council Members and above. A Level 6 punishment requires a severe verbal reprimand which is considered a final verbal warning.

6. Level 5 is a lenient punishment, and may be enforced by only Lower Council Members and above. A Level 5 punishment requires an indefinite suspension from all Organisation activities. This entails an indefinite Forum suspension. 7. Level 4 is a severe punishment, and may be enforced only by Upper Council Members. A Level 4 punishment requires indefinite alienation from all Members. No Member may have any alliance-related communication with any nation so punished.

8. Level 3 is a severe punishment, and may be enforced only by Upper Council Members. A Level 3 punishment requires indefinite alienation (and suspension) from the alliance, as well as aid sanctions.

9. Level 2 is a very severe punishment, and may be enforced only by Upper Council Members. A Level 2 punishment requires complete expulsion from the alliance, ban from the Forums and aid and trade sanctions.

10. Level 1 is the most severe punishment, and may be enforced only by Upper Council Members. A Level 1 punishment requires complete expulsion, Forums ban, sanctions, alienation (except through diplomatic channels) and declaration of war from the alliance. All applicable nations should declare individual wars on the offending nations.

11. Partial punishments, as in only part of the punishment is enforced, are permitted.

12. Level 2 and 1 punishments require that a trial is held to ascertain innocence or guilt of the accused party. This trial (and investigation) is held before the Upper Council with both the defendant and the plaintiff presenting their arguments and evidence. All Upper Council Members must sit at the trial unless one or more of them are a part of the defendant’s or plaintiff’s party. If this is the case, a willing Lower Council Member of the same Ministry should take their place.

Article 17
1. The Flag is designed as follows: a star chart (white stars on black) serves as a field. The Organisation Emblem of a white Goode-homolosine projection on blue (Pantone 279) is superimposed on the centre of the flag.

2. The flag ratio is roughly 5:9, which can be used for non-formal events, but the official dimensions are 416:747 which must be used at formal occasions.

3. In the case that the Organisation is sanctioned, the Organisation Flag should be displayed by nations of authority especially, as well as other Member nations, but this is not enforced under Article 14, Section 6.

4. In the case that the Organisation is not sanctioned, the UN Flag (Custom 30) should be displayed by nations of authority especially, as well as other Member nations, but this is not enforced under Article 14, Section 6.

5. The Flag should be displayed at all Organisation meetings, regardless of purpose or formality. It may also be portrayed during war on uniforms, aircraft or other vehicles, supposing the said uniformed man, aircraft or other vehicle is carrying out the orders of the alliance alone.

6. For peaceful purposes, the Flag may be worn liberally by all Members who wish to do so. Non-Members are encouraged to not use the Flag at all, but are not restricted to do so.

Article 18
1. The Emblem of the Organisation is a blue (PMS 279) and pure white Goode homolosine projection, which is enclosed in white olive branches.

2. The Emblem may be used during war as a symbol on uniforms denoting a Member nation’s involvement, as roundels on Organisation aircraft (when accompanied by the large printed letters ISCO), or as symbols on vehicles denoting a Member nation’s involvement, supposing the said uniformed man, aircraft or other vehicle is carrying out the orders of the alliance alone.

3. For peaceful purposes, the Emblem may be worn liberally by all Members who wish to do so. Non-Members are encouraged to not use the Emblem at all, but are not restricted to do so.

4. The official representative colours of the alliance are blue (PMS 279) and white. On occasion, where applicable, black is a third colour and red a fourth. These do not represent which trading sphere a Member should belong to.

Article 19
1. The Organisation awards medals to Members who perform note-worthy acts of bravery, courage and valour, as well as a number of minor medals for participation within the Organisation.

2. These awards can be given only to Members who have been nominated for a specific medal for a specific act or reason. Members cannot nominate themselves.

3. A nomination can be accepted or rejected by the Council President. If the Council President is nominated, at least two Upper Council Members need to approve the award.

Article 20
1. The Charter recognises the need for Revisions. Revisions are minor alterations to the Charter, for example; the change of a spelling error or the elimination of a superfluous Section.

2. Separate from Revisions are Amendments. Amendments are major alterations of the Charter, for example; the addition of a new Chapter.

Article 21
1. If an Amendment is made, the alteration should be made directly to the Charter itself, with the Amendment listed beneath. In this list, the listed should be a description of the Amendment made, including its reason for alteration and if applicable, what it replaced, along with a quotation of the full Amendment.

2. If an Amendment is required, it should be formally proposed in the Motions forum of the Forums. In this proposal, the Amendment should be a description of the Amendment made, including its reason for alteration and if applicable, what it would replace, along with a quotation of the full Amendment.

Signatures
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