GA Proposal: Repeal: “Disease Naming Compact”

[Lenlyvit]

Repeal: “Disease Naming Compact”

A resolution to repeal previously passed legislation.

Category: Repeal

Resolution: GA#484

Proposed by: Gorundu

General Assembly Resolution #484 “Disease Naming Compact” (Category: Health; Area of Effect: Bioethics) shall be struck out and rendered null and void.

The World Assembly,

Understanding the intention of the resolution to create an international standard for naming novel diseases,

Skeptical, however, of the resolution's premise that "there is no international consensus on the naming of novel communicable diseases" and that it would "[imperil] the safety of those infected and the sanity of doctors",

Asserting that it is very likely, in the scenario of a novel disease being discovered, that an unofficial international consensus would be formed on its naming due to the need for clear communications between governments,

Noting that even if there is no international consensus on the name of a disease, it is unlikely that doctors would have to "slug through pages of bureaucracy simply to find out what is to be treated", as foreign names of diseases would be public knowledge in its country of origin and thus easily identifiable,

Finding it ironic that the resolution proposed to solve the supposed problem of bureaucracy by establishing a worldwide bureaucracy,

Recognising that it would be extremely difficult to create a name that is "appropriately informative" for all member states, as languages and writing systems vary widely and many words may not have suitable translations in other languages,

Concerned that the requirement on member states to "refrain from funding internal attempts to name such diseases" may inadvertently restrict support for necessary research, such as work that involves identifying and categorizing disease-causing viruses or organisms, or that seeks to improve public health communication

Concluding that this level of micro-management is unnecessary for the World Assembly,

Hoping for future efforts to promote international cooperation on vital matters that necessitate coordinated government action, rather than micro-managing member states or imposing top-down policies on issues best addressed independently by the medical and scientific community.

Hereby repeals GA#484 "Disease Naming Compact".

Co-authored by Kelssek

This is the discussion thread. To cast your vote, go HERE

[Shy Guy]

While I don't agree with all of the points presented, I do agree that the original resolution itself is fundamentally flawed due to the diversity of sapient languages. I'm for.

[Deleted]

I didn't dislike the target as much as everyone else seemed to, and this repeal is a bit exagerated, but it looks like the target's days are numbered either way. I don't think repealing it is going to do any harm, and may lead to a better replacement.

THX will vote for repeal.