Refugia Revised Statutes

Text (18 January 2020)

This document establishes this association of nations and their shared beliefs and values. We define these values as refuge and shelter to all who have need of it, environmental stewardship of our nations while working to improve environmental sustainability, as well as the fair treatment and political inclusion of all peoples. We resolve ourselves to form governments with transparency and integrity in leadership and work to leave things as better than we found them.

The nations here will compose a region to be known as Refugia. These Statutes form our law.

---

- The Refugia Revised Statutes -

---

Residency:

1. Acceptance to the Region is a right afforded to any nation willing to uphold the values named herein. Nations that oppose, disregard, or obstruct these values may be subject to ejection and transportation via variation magic to The Rejected Realms.

2. Nations which reside within the Region, and are not barred from doing so, shall be recognised as Residents.

Member States:

3 Member States are defined as World Assembly Residents that have resided within the Region for a period not less than seven days.

a. A Resident will lose its status as a Member State if it elects to depart the Region, its status is self-requested to be revoked, or the Resident is ejected.

b. Residents that lose their status may apply to reobtain it unless they are barred from the Region. It shall be reinstated if the Resident meets the criteria in RRS 3.

a. Exemption nations must still have resided within the Region for a period of time not less than fourteen days and have received the unanimous approval from the Regional Council to provide the exemption.

4. Residents may apply for Member State status in conditions where admission to the World Assembly is declined, rejected, or impossible.

a. Residents applying for a World Assembly Exemption must have resided within the Region for a period of time not less than fourteen days and receive the unanimous approval from the Regional Council to provide the exemption.

5. Member States are entitled to submit any proposal, amendment, repeal, or revision to any revised statute, including this document in its entirety. Votes must be easily accessible and include the option to abstain. Only one vote is allotted to each Member State per referendum.

a. Proposals must be supported by at least one other Member State, which may be referred to as a "second."

b. Votes will last a period of seven days from the time of announcement and will be enacted or discarded upon conclusion.

c. Proposals which have been defeated will trigger a cooldown period on the sponsor Member State from submitting a new proposal for seven days after the end of the poll defeat.

Government Roles and Responsibilities:

6. The Regional Council is defined as the co-equal heads of government in Refugia. It is comprised of the following:

a. The Arch-Administrator, defined as Refuge Isle, which acts as the head of state for the Region for any legal or foreign circumstance which requires such.

This Councillor shall:

i. Appoint and dismiss Councillors into positions as the result of elections to their respective office.

ii. Maintain records of significance to the Region and its history.

iii. Cast votes corresponding to the will of the Region's voting Member States during the circumstance of also being the Region's World Assembly Delegate.

b. The Councillor of Foreign Affairs, whose responsibilities are defined as management and maintenance of the travel portals within the Region. The Councillor of Foreign Affairs seeks out ideologically-similar regions to Refugia and builds relationships with them. To that end, the Councillor oversees the construction, maintenance, and withdrawal of embassies.

This Councillor shall:

i. Maintain the relationships between Refugia and its allies.

ii. Appoint and dismiss Envoys, as the Councillor feels necessary, to aid in their duties.

iii. Publish a dispatch to the Region which provides an informed opinion for the reason an embassy should be opened or closed.

iv. Initiate a four-day referendum among Member States, to determine if an embassy may be opened or closed. Such openings and closures may not occur without a referendum, and may not be acted upon contrary to the referendum.

c. The Councillor of Culture, whose responsibilities are defined as orchestrating cultural events and developing the identity of the Refugi culture.

This Councillor shall:

i. Develop a Regional Eco Report to fulfill goals stipulated by RRS 12(a) and RRS 12(b) by identifying ways in which Member States of the Region may contributed towards the environmental targets established therein.

ii. Publish regular updates to the Regional Eco Report to maintain its relevance and timely advice.

d. The Operations Councillor, whose responsibilities are defined as identifying internal and external threats to the Region, possessing a general knowledge of worldwide events and invasion patterns.

This Councillor shall:

i. Verify voter integrity by maintaining a roster of valid Member States.

ii. Organise and lead the response effort to worldwide crises.

iii. Organise and lead the response to threats targetting the Region and within the Region.

e. The Councillor of the Interior, whose responsibilities are defined as facilitating Regional engagement through communication with and polling of Member States and residents.

This Councillor shall:

i. Broadcast announcements via telegram.

ii. Ensure an amicable discussion environment.

iii. Initiate polls to facilitate Regional engagement.

f. The Councillor of World Assembly Affairs, whose responsibilities are defined as facilitating discussions on World Assembly resolutions-at-vote, developing dispatches with Information For Voters (IFV) on current resolutions at vote, and providing regional recommendations for votes to the World Assembly Delegate.

This Councillor shall:

i. Read and consider proposals in both the General Assembly and Security Council.

ii. Initiate discussions in the Regional Message Board on upcoming proposals, and explain their impressions based on a reading of the draft and records of international debate.

iii. Develop and publish regional dispatches which provide information for voters about the current resolutions at vote in the World Assembly.

iv. If needed, oversee appointment of a second to assist in any of the aforementioned responsibilities.

7. The World Assembly Delegate is a Resident in the Region with an active World Assembly membership, who holds a plurality of endorsements from other World Assembly Residents. The Delegate is responsible for:

a. Assisting favourable proposals in the World Assembly to reach quorum through the approval process.

b. Voting on resolutions-at-vote in the World Assembly.

c. Supplying an opinion if they choose to not vote in alignment with the Regional majority opinion.

Government Accountability:

8. All Residents within the Region have the right to solicit an official Regional ruling, opinion, or position on:

a. The legality of a referendum.

b. Foreign Affairs.

c. The status of Member States.

d. Challenges regarding any ejection or barring of nations from the Region.

The results of rulings solicited by member states will be formed by the Regional Council and delivered by a representative of their Government.

9. At any time, a Member State can charge a Regional Councillor of neglect in their duties or mismanagement of their position. Their charge will be submitted in writing to the Arch-Administrator only after a second member state has seconded the motion. This charge must contain:

a. A list of grievances against the accused.

b. Argument as to why these grievances should result in the removal of the accused prior to the next election.

If all requirements laid out in RRS 5(c) and RRS 9 through 9(b) are met, the Arch-Administrator will call for a vote of No Confidence among the member states. If this vote passes by a simple majority, a new election will be called for that Council seat within the following five days. The previous seat holder can run again granted they qualify under circumstances detailed in RRS 11 and its subsections.

Elections:

10. The succession of the Arch-Administrator is subject to the succession laws of Refuge Isle, and verified by the presence of an anchor stone and Administration Tower. The Arch-Administrator will call elections for the four democratic Council seats according to the following convention:

---

Operations	Feb 1 - 7	Jun 1 - 7	Oct 1 - 7
Foreign Affairs	Feb 7 - 14	Jun 7 - 14	Oct 7 - 14
Culture	Feb 14 - 21	Jun 14 - 21	Oct 14 - 21
Interior	Feb 22 - 28	Jun 22 - 28	Oct 22 - 28
World Assembly Affairs	Mar 1 - 7	Jun 29 - July 5	Oct 29 - Nov 4

---

11. Elections will consist of a two day candidacy period, followed by a five day voting period. On the eighth day, the results of the elections will be announced and, if applicable, the next ones will begin.

a. Residents must qualify as Member States as defined in RRS 3 to be eligible for candidacy.

b. The first two days of each electoral period will be a candidacy period. Any eligible Member State may make a public declaration of intent during this time, and will subsequently appear on the ballot.

c. Member States are prohibited from occupying more than one Council seat at any given time.

d. Member States are prohibited from occupying the same Council seat more than two times consecutively.

e. In the event of unexpected absences or positions that cannot be filled, the Arch-Administrator may act in that position's capacity, or appoint an individual who may serve in that position's capacity until the following election produces a regular appointment.

Goals and Ideals:

12. The Region defines the goals and expectations in it Members' conduct and operations in the following ways:

a. Reach an average Environmental Beauty score of 1,900 on or before December 31, 2020, and maintained thereafter.

b. Reach an average Eco-Friendliness score of 5,000 on or before December 31, 2020, and maintained thereafter.

---