UN Educational Aid Act
The UN Educational Aid Act was the first Education and Creativity category UN resolution to reach the UN floor. The debate on this resolution was much more limited than most other resolutions and the resolution was passed by a clear supermajority.
Resolution Text
| Category: | Education and Creativity | Area of Effect: | Educational | Proposed By: | Gruenberg |
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Description:
The United Nations,
Firmly convinced that a high quality of education is worth securing for all people,
Acknowledging that some nations, especially those with developing economies or poor infrastructure, or these experiencing problems of internal stability, may experience understandable difficulties in providing such services,
Determined to help all people achieve access to education, and to work with, rather than against, nations and institutions encountering particular problems in this regard:
1. Proclaims it the duty of nations to ensure opportunities for education and training are reasonably accessible for all their nationals, and especially for children and young adults;
2. Declares its support for all projects aimed at increasing the availability of good, free or affordable educational services;
3. Condemns all forms of unfair and unreasonable discrimination with national educational systems, and motions for effective remedies to such;
4. Promotes schemes such as distance learning courses, part time adult education universities, and opportunities for deferred study, to ensure that those with jobs, young children or other responsibilities are able to benefit from the opportunities of education;
5. Establishes the "UN Educational Advancement Fund" (UNEAF) to:
- - solicit voluntary donations from national governments, charitable and other organizations, and individuals;
- - organize international conferences on educational methods, relevant technologies, academic subjects, and any other relevant topics;
- - act as a point of liaison for any international academic or educational projects seeking assistance in the acquisition of funding, resources or membership;
- - provide funding for research projects, infrastructure development programs, academic journal distribution and any other approved academic or educational programs, where approved by both an independent advisory council to the UNEAF, and the national government(s) of any nation(s) receiving such aid;
6. Entrusts nations with the right and responsibility to decide on the structure of their public education systems and the role of private institutions, mandatory, encouraged and prohibited subjects, skills and course elements in educational institutions, and the financing of educational programs, subject to previous UN legislation still in effect;
7. Encourages nations to ensure a sustainable supply of good teachers, educators, instructors and other educational professionals, through:
- - providing small bursaries and grants to those seeking to train as educational professionals;
- - ensuring reasonable pay and benefits for those working in the public education sector;
- - engaging in the creation of opportunities for those in other industries to retrain and enter the educational profession;
- - rigorously checking such applicants for history of violent or sexual abuse, especially involving children, and prevent any applicants who are considered a significant risk to children from obtaining teaching posts;
8. Also recognises that education is not solely an institutional prerogative, and as such requests that nations respect the importance of family and community education programs and teaching systems, formal or otherwise.
- Votes For: 11,250
- Votes Against: 2,307
- Implemented: Sun Aug 20 2006
Gameplay Imapcts
Due to clause 6 in the resolution, the UN Educational Aid Act is actually a blocker resolution, because it gives nations the right to determine the structure of their public and private education systems. However, this clause also recognizes pre-existing UN resolutions that have previously imposed mandates on national education systems. Some nations pointed out that they were aware that this resolution was a blocker, but still felt that the resolution was worth supporting.
