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The Chamber of Nations (CoN) is an intergovernmental organization located in Bocaugh, South Baba. Functioning as a parliamentary assembly, it is mainly concerned with promoting both diplomatic and democratic means of problem solving, having jurisdiction for disputes based on its founding documents and on special bipartite international treaties between its members.

History

The CoN was originally established as the Verusan Chamber (VC) when its founding document, the Bocaugh Pact, came into force in 2020. The Pact, later expanded for the CoN, described the organization’s main aim as “to prevent the use of armed conflict as an immediate option to settle disputes in Verusa and all of Strangereal by ensuring the exhaustion of all diplomatic and arbitration channels before bellicosity arises.” Therefore, the Pact enforces a doctrine of compulsory arbitration for any disputes within or between CoN member states which may result in armed conflict. Denver Park near Downtown Bocaugh, named after Terravian Premier John Denver in recognition of his support for an expanded Chamber, serves as the Chamber's headquarters. Therefore, the term Denver Park is occasionally used as a metonym for the Chamber of Nations as a whole.

To facilitate both continued association and the reduction of adversity, the Chamber coordinates the internal reduction of trade, transport and agricultural barriers amongst member states through the Verusan Solidarity Agreement (VSA). The CoN also pushes for the free movement of persons across the world with a similar Agreement on Freedom of Movement (AFM). According to the AFM, citizens of CoN member states have the right to live and work in any other CoN country as all CoN governments recognize their professional qualifications, right to buy property and social insurance benefits. After international pressure, the VSA and the AFM would later be declared optional for CoN members as many erroneously perceived them to allow for open borders between nations.

During its existence, the Verusan Chamber was not operational because its member states never actually signed the aforementioned founding documents even after unanimously ratifying all three of them. The absence of further Verusan Chamber Summits (VCS) to correct this error led reviewers to regard the organization as largely dormant.

On 29 April 2021, after several deliberations, the South Baban government invited all “peace-loving Strangereal nations” to join an expanded version of the Verusan Chamber (VC). Though quickly rebuked by many important powers, the offer was well-received by other, more open nations and the South Baban prime minister proclaimed that “the cause of peace is a common appeal for all peoples of the world.” By 3 May, the South Baban minister of Foreign Affairs had personally contacted his CoN counterparts to suggest starting evaluations of possible candidates for election to the post of CoN Secretary-General.

Ergo, South Baba would be the first CoN member state to evaluate prospective candidacies and issue a proposal for the post in the person of Matthew Sheehan, a former prime minister. Minerva Jefferson of Terraviae and Zandov Blotzov Naken of the United Lake Territories were the only other candidates to be proposed. Jefferson was a former Terravian Diplomacy minister and had her country's endorsement whilst Zandov, an advisor to the Lakian government, had the endorsement of the ULT. By the second week of May, both Katuda and New Celoveniortan had come out in support of Sheehan's candidacy. On 1 June 2021, after four days of deadlock, the Central Council voted to nominate Matthew Sheehan for Secretary-General. The following day, the Session voted to appoint Sheehan as Secretary-General of the Chamber of Nations for a term ending on 31 May 2024. Sheehan then appointed both Zandov and Jefferson as Deputy Secretaries-General with a term of office not exceeding his own. He also appointed renowned Katudan diplomat Olez Hristo as Head of the Chamber of Nations Office to ORASO, Darke Talon from the United Lake Territories as his Special Envoy for Dynastiet, and Oswa Megra from New Celoveniortan as his Special Envoy for Pandoska, all three with the rank of Under-Secretary-General. The Central Council selected Nyock to occupy its presidency until 3 July, at said date it started rotating among the 13 member states of the council and the Secretary-General on a monthly basis. The following week, Sheehan continued his string of inaugural appointments by naming the Lakian Kurizsh Neshaven Polanski as his Special Envoy for Itallitopia, also with the rank of Under-Secretary-General. Retaining his rank, Olez Hristo would be appointed as Head of the Chamber of Nations Office to the Fusean Committee on 20 August.

On 16 June, Sheehan inaugurated the CoN’s official publishing body for treaties and other international agreements within the Secretariat of the Chamber of Nations, hoping to kickstart the potential Treaty Series of the Chamber of Nations (TSCoN) as soon as possible. By 16 August, the Secretary-General welcomed the passage of several pieces of Lunan legislation that sought to limit the use and presence of Weapons of Mass Destruction within and outside Strangereal. Sheehan invited Tierra de luna to register the texts with the Secretariat for their publication in the first volume of the TSCoN, which they promptly did.

After the Secretary-General addressed the ORASO Parliamentary Union (OPU) in Pheoria on 5 July, he met with Honaga Lakie, his ORASO counterpart, about granting the Western Verusan customs union observer membership in the Chamber of Nations alongside the full memberships of its component states. A meeting with the Council of Delegates (CoD), which would have to approve such membership on ORASO’s part, was not scheduled.

On 15 July 2021, the United Lake Territories became the first country to withdraw from the Chamber of Nations after condemning the organization for allegedly having “capitalist ideals that want to destroy the people.” The Secretary-General later welcomed their “senseless ideological rant” as, to him, it was already apparent that “the ULT’s constant bellicose attitudes would eventually become an insurmountable obstacle for the Chamber’s role in preventing needless armed conflicts.” The following day, in what South Baban media outlets would later call the "Lakian Purge", Secretary-General Sheehan notified Special Envoy Kurizsh Neshaven Polanski of his dismissal from his functions and from the rank of Under-Secretary-General due to his country’s withdrawal from the Chamber of Nations. In his place, Sheehan appointed Pinguiorisian diplomat Madras Hickory as his Special Envoy for Itallitopia, also with the rank of Under-Secretary-General. Fallout from the Lakian exit also affected Deputy Secretary-General Zandov Blotzov Naken, who tendered his resignation to the Secretary-General and immediately left South Baba. This left Minerva Jefferson as the only CoN Deputy Secretary-General. Former Special Envoy for Dynastiet Darke Talon was also removed from his position as an Under-Secretary-General without portfolio

Between 11-12 November 2021, the Secretary-General went to Beiguojia for his first state visit. The two-day visit included discussions with the Minister of State Affairs about the establishment of bilateral cooperation initiatives, tours of the Beiguojian capital of Chàngdeshù, the Irminëijn Canal, the Grand Gushang River Delta, and many spots across the Eastern River Plain; and speech to assembled municipal leaders. Said speech was widely lauded by South Baban media as a catalyst for CoN influence in the North Osean continent whereas some local critics shunned the lecture’s focus on arbitration and its possible impact on regional alliances.

On 16 December 2021, Under-Secretary-General Olez Hristo was stripped of his rank and dismissed as Head of the Chamber of Nations Office to the Fusean Committee. In his place, Sheehan appointed Skaraborgian diplomat Katarina Ask, according her the rank of Under-Secretary-General.

During a 21 February 2022 surprise visit to Emeraldisia, Sheehan met with Dr. Aodh H. MacIntyre, Director General of the Technical Requirements Assistance Force (TRAF) and his staff at the Karl Bernadonne Centre (KBC) in Emeraldia City to discuss the recent start and initial operations of the TRAF's modernisation mission in the Western Verusan country. After touring the KBC facilities in the Emeraldisian capital, as well as those of the Emeraldia City operational zone; he laid a wreath at the tomb of Karl Bernadonne von Lichtenburg, the former sovereign Prince of Emeraldisia seen as responsible for the nation's entrance into the modern world. After a short speech, the flag of the Chamber of Nations was raised alongside the Emeraldisian standard at the site as a sign of respect and the CoN's commitment to Prince Karl's vision of a peaceful, interwoven global community.

After Deputy Secretary-General Minerva Jefferson resigned during Sheehan's Emeraldisian visit, the following day he appointed former Pinguiorisian senator Sorgusi Menemis to complete her term, equal to his own, scheduled to end on 31 May 2024. Afterwards, Sheehan proceeded with the immediate appointment of renowned diplomat Johan Jonsson from The Democratic Kingdom Of Skaraborg as Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Pandoska, with the rank of Under-Secretary-General, to replace retiring envoy Oswa Megra.

Session

The Session of the Chamber of Nations is the highest CoN organ and consists of up to five deputies from the legislative bodies of each member country, appointed by said bodies for renewable terms of three years. When addressed, deputies are entitled to be called Your Excellency.

It carries out a consistent operation within two annual month-long sittings, the first in May and the second in October (although extraordinary sittings could also be convened), in which it accepts written pleadings concerning a dispute that requires solving by way of arbitration. For a pleading to be accepted, there must be a quorum of at least two thirds of the number of deputies. If said quorum is not available to debate a pleading and a majority of qualified deputies believes that the pleading cannot be debated and determined in the next sitting, then the status quo shall prevail until further action. Member states are required to submit pleadings to the Session regarding any dispute that could result in armed conflict.

After accepting a pleading, the Session proceeds with oral presentation from the involved parties with each having thirty-five minutes to state their respective claims and ten minutes for rebuttal. After the parties have finished their argument, each deputy has fifteen minutes (in order of seniority) to ask questions to each party. Deputies may decide to yield the balance of their time to one of their colleagues.

The Session of the Chamber of Nations has committees and sub-committees to conduct further research on pleadings, compile expert opinions on them, and make recommendations for joint questions to parties.

At the conclusion of oral presentation, the pleading is submitted for decision by majority vote of the deputies after a debate of the whole membership. Rough drafts of several positions on a pleading are published in an official newspaper created specifically for such debate. The Session is not under any obligation to release a decision within any set time after oral presentation. All of its proceedings are televised and live-streamed.

The decision, voted on public sitting as are all Session proceedings, must be ratified either as a judgment or as an advisory opinion, with all dissenting positions being published alongside it. Judgments are directly binding on the parties but advisory opinions are not. Any party that refuses to abide by a judgment (or arbitration in general) is formally condemned and, if applicable, expelled from the CoN whilst the other party is able to receive immediate assistance from CoN members. An appeal mechanism is possible through a petition by the member state parliaments to the Central Council.

Flag of the Chamber of Nations

Secretariat

The Secretariat of the Chamber of Nations is headed by the Secretary-General, who is simultaneously the Session's presiding officer and the organization's administrative head. The Secretariat is responsible for coordinating the linguistic, research, and administrative workings of the organization, leading the Chamber of Nations' international staff, and coordinating the meetings of the Central Council and most major committees of the organization. Each subdivision is headed by an Under-Secretary-General. CoN High Representatives are employed by the Secretariat and report directly to the Secretary-General as their highest designated representative in a member state. The Secretary-General, appointed by the Session after nomination by the Central Council, also acts as the CoN's spokesperson.

Central Council

The Central Council (CECO) is an emergency appellate body that reviews decisions of the Session of the Chamber of Nations by petition of the CoN's various legislative bodies. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the CoN member states, along with the Secretary-General of the Chamber of Nations. Their judgment provides the final directive of the Chamber of Nations as to the pleading appealed, setting out with specificity the Chamber's determination that the appealed decision should be affirmed, reversed, remanded or modified.

Observer states

Any Strangereal nation that wishes to attend Session debates and even take part in them and in Central Council deliberations may become an Observer State and will also be able to submit disputes for arbitration by means of advisory opinions after recognition of the Chamber of Nations' main goals. Observer states, however, are not entitled to vote on pleadings and their automatic membership in the VSA and the AFM is subject to contention.

Continental partners

In order to develop a close cooperation with non-CoN Strangereal nations, the Chamber of Nations secretariat created the Continental Partners Initiative (CPI) as a way to maintain constant communication and commit to the mutual objectives necessary to permit stability, good relations, and better understanding throughout Strangereal, all whilst disseminating the CoN's goals. Said nations are also able to submit disputes for arbitration by means of advisory opinions. Contrary to observer states, continental partners cannot obtain full membership in the Chamber of Nations if they so desire.

Flag

The use of the flag of the Chamber of Nations, originally conceived as the flag of the Verusan Chamber (VC), is not regulated by a specific code but South Baba and, formerly, Republica Guilleana incorporated the CoN flag into their flag statutes. Within those countries, it is mandatory for most public offices and buildings to hoist the Chamber of Nations Flag alongside their national flags. Therefore, their diplomatic missions fly the CoN flag alongside their respective flags. The CoN flag also takes precedence over the national flag when dignitaries from other CoN countries visit – for example the CoN flag would be in the middle of a group of three flags rather than the South Baban or Guillean flag.

In other member states, extraordinary flying of the flag is common on Chamber Day, celebrated annually on 30 September. Other than on this occasion, the flag is generally not flown unofficially by the general public although some member states' institutions have the CoN flag alongside their national flags on their premises, but this is not a CoN-mandated directive.

In popular culture

On 25 December 2020, the South Baban industrial rock band Armed Neutrality released a surprise vinyl album titled "The Verusxn Chxmber" in select vintage record stores and random places (including a beach, a hotel lobby, a taxicab, and a newsstand) all over South Baba as a Christmas present. Copies of the album showed a sticker that read: “On 25 December 2020, we released our album and walked amongst you. On 31 December, we went underground.”

World-famous South Baban rock band The Fire Bureau has been among the many groups to carry out a Chamber of Nations tour. The Fire Bureau went on a tour sponsored by soft drink giant Hernández Valente Ltd for their 'Sweet New Stuff' campaign, which promotes the company’s new Trofeo Two-One brand in addition to the rest of the Trofeo II lineup (Diet Trofeo II, Zero Taste Trofeo, Trofeo No Corn Syrup, Trofeo Red, Trofeo Blues, and Trofeo Elderberry).

See also

◾️ ORASO