4.7  International Organizations

4.7.1
The following are proposed goals:

   International, United Nations-lead organizations are supported and strengthened. International human rights are reviewed, revised, and updated. They may be functionally replaced by a proclamation of guidelines for laws and governance based on global or natural ethics. Functions of the UN are broadened and its power increased.

   Some international laws are acknowledged to supersede national and local laws, including rulings that define ethical behaviors by individuals and institutions, and laws mandating steps to protect environments. The UN pursues ways to enforce decisions that override rulings by federal, state, and local governments.

   Any military action and any formation of paramilitary groups must be considered illegal according to international law. Opposing parties must keep negotiating until a compromise has been found. International agencies may invite or order mediation and, if all fails, arbitration. Both parties should feel like they did not get what they wanted or deserve. In conflicts about leadership, a people should be requested to vote anew, with only foreigners without involvement in the country’s policies or alliance with any tribe/group of the country qualifying. Everybody must acknowledge that losing in arbitration is a much smaller loss than losses from military action.

   To prevent armed conflicts with gangs, thugs, private militias, and/or commercial military stile security services, international laws severely limit private ownership of most weapons1. Persons owning a legally registered weapon must frequently demonstrate that the weapon was not sold. Additionally, sale and use of ammunition must be strictly accounted for by documenting structured practice shooting, hunting, etc.

   The international community accepts the responsibility to deal with major humanitarian issues within and between countries, including unethical laws and gross human rights violations; cruelties in law enforcement; authorities condoning or ignoring domestic violence and inhumane practices; unethical migration policies; unethical trade and business policies or practices; inadequate aid to victims of extreme poverty; and threatened, anticipated, or actual humanitarian catastrophes.

   International courts and tribunals are advanced with the primary purpose of supervising and enforcing guidelines of international agreements and global ethics. Any government or non-governmental organization (NGO) may initiate actions by the international court, when a country’s government fails to act.

   The international community must offer mediation and/or arbitration in international conflicts with the goal of avoiding war under all circumstances. Wherever there are indications that a civil war may be imminent, when in a major conflict mediation efforts appear to fail, restrictions on private weapons are tightened, and UN peace keeping forces must be dispatched with no delay.

4.7.2
   Utilizing existing and own media, the UN, in cooperation with NGOs, explains internationally recognized global ethics and human rights in its publications. Appropriate protection of environments, indigenous people, and animals is considered part of global ethics. Such information must be made available uncensored in all written languages in all parts of the world.

   Officials who vote for, order, or participate in executing unethical laws may be reprimanded, internationally ostracized, or prosecuted. International tribunals, in cooperation with NGOs, document when government and/or religious officials are involved in major human rights’ violations by encouraging, ordering, and/or perpetrating them, while their superiors and the country’s legal system condone the violations. When international tribunals declare such leaders to be major human rights violators, their assets may be frozen, and they are apprehended as soon as feasible when leaving their country. The goal of these tribunals is not to punish culpable persons, but to stop their actions and, possibly, rehabilitate them.

   All countries acknowledge what laws, if literally applied in all circumstances, are unethical and must not be followed. Often, the spirit of legislation is perverted by existing and poorly formulated laws. Often, law enforcement routinely ignore obsolete laws and laws that are not meant in unforeseen situations. This practice must be endorsed by all authorities and further developed when political processes lag behind progress in the understanding of ethics and human rights.

   International law prohibits officials to order, condone, or execute cruelties. Individuals in any position must defy unethical orders, procedures, and laws; they are to resign from a position that demands clearly unethical acts and they must report why they resigned. Officials ordered to commit major unethical acts must leave their country as feasible and contact international organizations. They must be acknowledged as refugees, similar to persons fleeing war and prosecution.

4.7.3
   For international bodies, equal rights are not a primary focus, instead humane treatment of all people is most important. For instance, people with major handicaps and/or living in extreme poverty may not have a right to reproduce. Forced sterilization operations may be ethical in state facilities for mentally retarded and chronic psychiatrically ill persons. Countries with extreme overpopulation and poverty may ethically pressure men and women to undergo sterilization operations, even to have abortions, particularly if there are additional reasons, such as genetically transmitted disorders or a history of severe family violence. Such decisions are to be made in an ethical way by local teams or human rights panels; affected people must always be treated in an understanding, humane way.

   It may be reasonable that cultures assign men and women somewhat different rights, tasks, and protections, following natural inclinations and characteristics of the two genders. However, both genders need to have comparable and appropriate freedoms, access to education and health care, etc. Women in previously male-dominated professions may, spontaneously, be assigned tasks that are relatively less dangerous and/or physically strenuous. Such propensities should be considered commendable rather than forms of discrimination, and they may become traditional. Efforts to curb family and sexual violence must focus more on prevention efforts in males and protective measures for females since males are more likely to be perpetrators. Men may not want and should not have equal rights in regulating matters such as contraception and child rearing. Pregnant women and women with small children deserve special privileges and considerations, in schools, jobs,etc.

   Gender separation in schools and adaptation in teaching approaches may be beneficial: boys and girls think and learn quite differently and they are motivated by different stimuli. Older children, particularly girls, may avoid apparent competition between the genders, and intelligent girls may feel inhibited. Sports should be adapted to what is healthy for girls and boys of different ages.

   Cultures should treat genders differently concerning rites of passage, marriage, access to children after divorce, special considerations related to female reproductive functions (including leaves from schools and jobs), etc.  International bodies should affirm gender specific customs which are ethical. Arranged marriages may be sensible, if the proposed spouses’ preferences are considered and they have the right to refuse. People with mental handicaps may not have a right to marry a person of their choice.

4.7.4
   In addition to dealing with human rights issues, peace, and ecological concerns, international bodies help coordinate efforts to share scientific knowledge worldwide with the primary goal of improving people’s quality of life. Third World countries are encouraged to share educational resources and institutions, research, technologies, etc.

   What people consider basic or minimal needs is highly variable, depending on culture and physical environment. In very poor regions with traditional cultures, running water in each dwelling may not be considered a high priority, and short times of relative food shortages may be acceptable. Nevertheless, safe water supplies, reasonable nutrition essentially all year long, sanitation, and basic medical care are everywhere foremost priorities.  Basic medical care may primarily focus on immunization programs and other prevention, obstetric care including prevention of infections in fetus when the mother is ill, life saving emergency treatments, some palliative care, and care for preventable and treatable chronic disorders such as, nutritional deficiencies,chronic infections, parasites and fistulas, even though people continue to rely, for most disorders, on local healers, modified folk medicine procedures, and nonprescription medications.

   UN committees and NGOs foster cultural cooperation and sharing of the enjoyments of arts and sports. Competitions, which often lead to unreasonable extreme, painful practices and physical damage in competitors, are to be curbed. All competitors should lead a balanced life, never spending exorbitant amounts of time in the development of very limited skills and strengths. Olympic games should maintain characteristics of games, with freer access to participate and a focus on the pleasure of actuating and watching sports. Teams representing a nation may be chosen by lot among many good teams rather than by ever more extreme competition, and games may be more frequent and less elaborate.

   A separate organization of religions may be beneficial. Representatives of religious authorities should regularly meet and cooperate in advancing resolutions of conflicts within and between religious groups. They also may pursue higher levels of morality while essentially endorsing science and global ethics.

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1  Ready access to guns has also been associated with suicides. It is likely to worsen crimes in domestic conflicts and crimes by psychotic individuals.

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