Alternative History
Register
Advertisement
United Communities
Communautés Unies (French)
Vereenichde Gmeeschafts (Pennsylvania German)
Vereinigte Gemeinschaften (Hochdeutsch)
DD1983 UnCom Flag
Predecessor United Nations
Formation July 4th, 2007
Type International Organization
Legal status Active
Purpose/focus De-Nuclearization, International justice, Rebuilding and Economic Development, Enshrining Human Rights, Humanitarian Assistance, Peacekeeping
Headquarters Navy Island (International Territory)
Location Niagara Falls, Niagara Falls
Membership 25 Full Members
2 Honorary Members
3 Observers
Official languages English, French, Pennsylvania German, High German
Secretary-General John McNee (London)
Deputy Secretary-General Howard Dean (Republic of Vermont)
General Assembly President Kelly Craft (Commonwealth of Kentucky)
Economic and Social Council President Kristina Keneally (Toledo Confederation)
Main organ General Assembly
Security Council
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Trusteeship Council
International Court of Justice (ICJ)
UC Secretariat
Budget C$ 177,000,000 (2023)
Staff 4,000
Volunteers 4,200
Former name United Nations


The United Communities (French: Communautés Unies, Pennsylvania German: Vereenichde Gmeeschafts, High German: Vereinigte Gemeinschaften, abbreviated as UC) is an international organization dedicated to facilitating co-operation in international law, preserving human rights, re-establishing order, maintaining national security, encouraging economic development, and establishing world peace. The organization was founded in 2007 and was conceived as a platform for dialogue for North American survivor states. Being based on the United Nations, the group is unintentionally very similar in both style and organization to the League of Nations. However, the group is different in how it handles economics and its ultimate goal of the elimination of all remaining nuclear weapons and eradicating terrorist and raider groups. By 2100 the organization hopes to have reversed the effects of nuclear waste and the general destruction following Doomsday from the world.

Growing from its nascence in the ashes of the Saguenay War, the United Communities has grown to be a chief non-state actor in the eastern North American continent, receiving international acclaim for its efforts in nuclear clean-up of destroyed sites and maintaining protected transportation infrastructure connecting swathes of the continent. The organization's hopes to spread across the continent and eventually throughout the world. The United Communities is headquartered in the Assembly Building in Niagara Falls. Since the end of the Saguenay War, a powerful nation on the political field of the world, Canada, joined, and it is hoped that this will expand membership as well as give the organization credibility.

History[]

The United Communities stems from the same ideals as the pre-Doomsday United Nations with the goals of avoiding the failures of the aforementioned UN and preceding League of Nations.

Creation[]

Each of the original member states, all entangled in various agreements, sought a unified platform in which no nation would show superiority over the other. Toledo, North Penn, London, and Norfolk had worked together for years regarding multiple things such as eradicating raiders and liberating oppressed cities and towns. Pennsylvania and State College eventually toppled the St. Marys government and restored it to a democratic leadership and Toledo successfully united northwestern Ohio under its jurisdiction.

By 2005, the Great Lakes region had seen improvements in its stability with the lakes being safe enough for commercial and government travel. The governments and economies slowly began to prosper as trade increased between the nations around the Great Lakes. However, several economic and political disputes marred the relationship and it was quickly realized that a neutral platform was necessary to resolve disputes and ensure there was parity for all the nations.

A proposed "Great Lakes Union" was rejected as the assembly of diplomats and legal advisors realized expansion outside of the immediate region would be critical to retaining the peace in the northeastern former United States, and southern regions of former Canada.

A draft put together by a Londonite of an organization of "United Communities" was accepted by the committee. On July 4th, 2007, the United Communities was formed, consisting of London (Ontario), the Dominion of Norfolk-Hadimand (Ontario), Sudbury (Ontario), and the Commonwealth of North Pennsylvania (Pennsylvania). In August and September of the same year, Niagara Falls and Waterloo, respectively, joined the organization. It established itself as a successor to the United Nations with the hope to "preserve and restore the ideals of that great organization".

The United Communities predates the far larger League of Nations by one year, two months, and twenty-two days.

First Round of Enlargement and Anti-Piracy Efforts[]

After Niagara Falls and Norfolk-Haldimand joined in late 2007, the United Communities saw a two year lull in membership before another round of applicants submitted requests to join. Like the United Nations, the United Communities relied on a majority vote for membership and the Toledo Confederation joined in January.

While Superior and Wisconsin submitted requests to join prior to the outbreak of the Saguenay War, it did not take a seat until June of 2010 after the war ended. Due to the pro-Canadian lean of most of its members and the status of Honorary Member conferred to Canada, Superior has frequently skipped meetings and disregarding Security Council resolutions.

While crime on the Great Lakes was reduced through efforts of the various navies and coast guards, there were still several major incidents of both commercial and private vessels being hijacked by pirates and gangs. After a series of gruesome raids in rural London and North Pennsylvania, the United Communities Security Council authorized a combined London, Niagara Falls, North Pennsylvania, and Toledo task force to destroy the pirates. While initial efforts were hampered by the limited armament of the vessels and lack of intelligence, several victories seriously impeded the pirates ability to sustain raids and ship passage safety improved significantly.

Niagara Falls and North Pennsylvania, separately from each other began cleanup in Buffalo and Erie respectively, removing debris, washing residual radiation from the ruins, and recycling any salvageable materials for new construction. The United Communities General Assembly voted to form the Restoration Committee in 2011 to coordinate regional responses, procedures, and long term plans to restore the former cities that served as economic hubs for the region prior to Doomsday.

New Headquarters[]

While, the United Communities was based in London at its foundation, as it was a large city with both land and water transportation routes to the other founding members, there were discussions that the intergovernmental organization should have headquarters on international territory, primarily from Niagara Falls, Sudbury, Superior, and Toledo; similar to the predecessor United Nations. In November 2009, the General Assembly with the approval of the Security Council authorized a temporary committee to find and designate a new home for the United Communities.

Member states were permitted to nominate one community or region from their nations as a potential host. However a predetermined requirement by the General Assembly would be the recognition that the headquarters would be international territory (with the territory reverting to the host nation if relocated), the host country would be required to provide emergency services and the United Communities would follow most laws of the host nation. Another agreed to requirement was that the host nation could not put forward their capital city and would guarantee any member state would be permitted to send diplomats to the United Communities, regardless of the diplomatic relationship between the parties.

All member states except Wisconsin (which supported Superior’s bid) submitted proposals.

  • London - Long Point
  • Niagara Falls - Navy Island
  • Norfolk - Waterford
  • North Pennsylvania - Lake City
  • Sudbury - Sudbury
  • Superior - Sault Ste. Marie
  • Toledo - Sandusky
  • Waterloo - Kitchener

Kitchener, Sault Ste. Marie, and Sudbury were rejected by the committee for being too isolated from the rest of the United Communities members. Long Point and Waterford were both rejected for being underdeveloped and would have required major development of harbors and rail lines. Additionally, the United Communities expressed concerns for destroying the natural marshes at Long Point due to the environmental damage from Doomsday.

Under consideration were Lake City (under the jurisdiction of North Pennsylvania), Navy Island (under the jurisdiction of Niagara Falls), and Sandusky (under the jurisdiction of Toledo).

After some consideration, Navy Island was selected as the site for the United Communities headquarters for two reasons. First and foremost, the island sat on the former Canada-United States border and was viewed by all the members as being somewhat symbolic in both American and Canadian survivors unifying around a single cause. A secondary reasons was the status as being one of four finalists for the United Nations Headquarters proposed in 1945 and 1946 (the island lost to New York City).

Committee members suggested that the whole island be ceded to the organization (as its sovereign territory) as long as the organization has its headquarters there in a similar fashion to the United Nations. This was agreed to, albeit reluctantly by Londonite officials, and ground was broken in mid-2010 by a conglomerate of construction and engineering companies from all the member states.

The General Assembly Building was completed on January 9th, 2012 and officially opened on the fifth anniversary of the United Communities.

Further Expansion and Conflict[]

The provisional government in place at Kingston, Ontario was offered membership between the organization’s foundation and Kingston’s reunion with Canada as a territory. It had repeatedly rejected even honorary membership as in violation of Canadian sovereignty.

Ithaca and Binghamton sent their applications after the war as well and were accepted on July 4th, 2010. During the Saguenay War, the United Communities failed to pass any resolutions related to the conflict. It was effectively divided into two separate power blocs and they would avoid any topic that might bring up the war. Superior led the a de facto pro-Saguenay coalition along with London, Sudbury, and Wisconsin. The pro-Canadian group was led by North Pennsylvania alongside Waterloo and Midland.

Norfolk-Haldimand and the Toledo Confederation were neutral during the war, as was Vermont upon joining in January 2010 partway through the Saguenay War in an effort to find a peaceful resolution. While Niagara Falls declared neutrality, the Mercenariness Force was contracted to engage on the Canadian side of the conflict. This resulted in the pro-Saguenay wing viewing Niagara Falls as hostile while the pro-Canadian group viewed Niagara Falls as failing to assist enough.

While the inaction of the organization on the Saguenay War was heavily criticized, it did pass resolutions to support agricultural efforts in Niagara Falls, North Pennsylvania, Superior, and Toledo as well as passed a non-binding resolution for the members to reduce pollution being released into the Great Lakes.

In April 2010, the United Communities sent representatives to Manchester, Vermont to witness the Treaty of Manchester. It was here that the first meetings between League and Communities officials happened. The United Communities gained an amount of international publicity afterwards and was a "subject of interest" of many of the non-League nations in the world, as the League of Nations High Council had blocked many nations in Asia from participating.

As part of the agreements around the Treaty of Manchester; Canada joined the organization as an honorary member while Saguenay was admitted as a full member. This acceptance resulted in discontent from the Canadian government and the Canada First Party wanted to withdraw from the UC completely as a result. However the United Communities expressed its ideals of acting as a global forum and its goal of avoiding partisanship in the structure.

From 2011 until 2014, two new members joined the United Communities each year. In 2011, the Commonwealth of Kentucky and Republic of New York were admitted, with New York being a continuation of the 2010 memberships of Binghamton and Ithaca respectively; in 2012, Pelee and the Provisional Government of Pennsylvania in State College joined on the New Year; the Republic of Keene and the Commonwealth of Plymouth acceded to membership in 2013 when the Republic of Vermont dropped its objections and the two nations received enough votes for admittance; while the Republic of Aroostook and the Commonwealth of Susquehanna joined on the New Year in 2014.

During this time period, the United Communities coordinated a joint task force headed by Vermont to destroy the remaining elements of the Lawrence Raiders. While Aroostook didn’t join the organization until a few years into the operation, the effort paid off in 2015 when the remaining elements surrendered to Aroostook, Canadian, and Vermonter forces.

With State College and Susquehanna joining in 2012 and 2014, discussions opened up about efforts to construct continuous roadways to connect the majority of United Communities member states. While construction under the United Communities has not begun, individual member states have begun coordinating separately to improve transportation. The longest stretches run from the Iron Range in Superior to Toledo, and from Edinboro, North Pennsylvania to Hazleton, Susquehanna.

Cleanup efforts around Buffalo and Erie paid off in the mid-2010’s with the cities being restored in 2013 and 2017 respectively. With these successful projects nearing completion, the United Communities has begun approaching member states to begin repairing the damage from Doomsday. The next expected projects are the ruins around Detroit to connect the western members to a more direct route to London and Niagara Falls and Cincinnati as a means to provide better water transportation to Mexico and Texas.

A two year lull occurred before the Quad Cities Alliance agreed to join the United Communities and another year passed before International Falls agreed to accede. In 2018, three nations joined on New Years, with the Northern Townships, Outer Lands, and Reading agreeing to membership.

Structure[]

The United Communities basic structure is very similar to the UN. The United Communities is composed of seven principle organs: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Social and Economic Council, Trusteeship Council, the Secretariat, the International Court of Justice, and the Restoration Committee.

Nations are clustered into Regional Groupings with five different regions: Canada (4), Huron (5), Mid-Atlantic (5), Midwest (5), and New England (5).

Security Council[]

The Security Council is responsible for ensuring international peace and security and approving any changes to the United Communities Charter. It can establish peacekeeping operations, enact sanctions, and authorize military action through the United Communities Peacekeeping Force. There are eleven members on the United Communities Security Council.

The five founding members of the United Communities are permanent members of the Security Council. There are also six non-permanent members who are elected for two year terms with three elected per year on a rotating schedule. The non-permanent members are not eligible for re-election immediately after retiring at the end of each term.

Including permanent members, the Canadian grouping receives two seats; Huron, three; Mid-Atlantic, two; Midwest, two; and New England, two.

Country Regional Group Term
DD1983 London ON Civil London-Ontario Huron Permanent Member
DD1983 Norfolk Haldimand Civil Norfolk-Haldimand Canada Permanent Member
Flag of Pennsylvania North Pennsylvania Mid-Atlantic Permanent Member
Toledo 5 Toledo Confederation Midwest Permanent Member
DD1983 Sudbury Civil Sudbury Huron Permanent Member
New England pine flag Aroostook Canada Non-Permanent Member (2021-2023)
DD1983 International Falls Flag P2 International Falls Huron Non-Permanent Member (2021-2023)
Flag of the Outer Lands (Doomsday) Outer Lands New England Non-Permanent Member (2021-2023)
Flag of New York Republic of New York Mid-Atlantic Non-Permanent Member (2022-2024)
Flag of Kentucky Kentucky Midwest Non-Permanent Member (2022-2024)
Flag of Vermont Republic Vermont New England Non-Permanent Member (2022-2024)


General Assembly[]

The General Assembly is the main deliberation, policy making, and representative body for the United Communities. It is responsible for created the yearly budget, appointing members to the Security Council, appointing the Secretary General, making and approving resolutions, and receiving reports from the other UC bodies.

Social and Economic Council[]

The Social and Economic Council is the body responsible for coordinating economic and social fields in the United Communities. It also coordinates UC specialized agencies and commissions under the authority of the United Communities.

Trusteeship Council[]

The Trusteeship Council is responsible for ensuring territories are managed responsibly in the best interests of the inhabitants and of international peace and security.

It currently maintains dialogue in relation to the territories and protectorates of Hudson, Kingston, New Brunswick, Thunder Bay (territories of Canada), Lehigh (joint partnership of Reading and Susquehanna), and the Republic of Wisconsin (satellite state of Superior).

Secretariat[]

The Secretariat is the executive branch of the United Communities, headed by the Secretary-General. It sets the agenda for the General Assembly, Social and Economic Council, and Security Council. The Secretary-General organizing international conferences, and consulting member states regarding implemented policies by the General Assembly.

International Court of Justice[]

The International Court of Justice settles disputes between member states in accordance with international law and gives advisory opinions on international legal issues. There are 9 justices who are elected by the General Assembly and approved by the Security Council for nine year terms.

Restoration Committee[]

For more information on how large-scale nuclear cleanup would be feasible in real life, click [[1]].

One of the most well-received functions of the United Communities has been the Restoration Committee. The committee serves to coordinate radiation cleanup around populated areas and the resettlement of economically strategic areas or those of significant cultural value, as well as those with cohesive refugee communities who wish to rebuild their homes. The committee first experimented with the cleanup of the Buffalo area from 2008-2011, followed by formally rebuilding the city in 2013. Deep burial of contaminated material is moved in lead-lined cars to safe deposit sites in several sites in northern Superior and former New York state.

The typical process typically includes: Full Evacuation of targeted area: Evacuating remaining residents from the affected area and setting up a safe perimeter around the contaminated zone to begin the project with complications. Temporary settlements are provided in Toledo, London, and Niagara, along with various rural sponsors in Superior. To date, there have been no qualms with these temporary relocations, as restive sites are usually omitted in the pre-selection process. Radiation detection and mapping: Surveying the area with radiation detectors can help identify the most contaminated regions and prioritize cleanup efforts. Drones and robots can be used to avoid exposing humans to high radiation levels. Containment and removal: Radioactive materials can be removed from surfaces using various techniques like vacuuming, wiping, or pressure washing. In some cases, contaminated soil or building materials may need to be excavated and disposed of in secure storage facilities. Demolition: In cases of severe contamination, it is necessary to demolish some structures, particularly if they are heavily damaged or pose a significant health risk. Certain materials, higher-densities such as lead and various stones, have been considered safe to use in the rebuilding process, or leave as historical benchmarks. Soil remediation: Techniques such as soil washing, chemical treatments, and phytoremediation can be used to reduce the level of radioactive contamination in soil. Lab-curated fungus spores, sunflowers, potassium and iodine-based soil additives are all just a few of the tools in the arsenal of the Restoration Committee. Decontamination of water sources: Treating contaminated water sources with filtration systems, ion exchange resins, and other technologies can help mitigate the risks of radioactive contamination. Long-term monitoring and maintenance: After initial decontamination efforts, ongoing monitoring of radiation levels and regular maintenance of containment measures.

As of 2021, the Restoration Committee is sponsoring exploratory work and cleanup in the suburbs around Cleveland and Hamilton.

Areas of Interest to the Restoration Committee[]

The Restoration Committee has set a timeline of sites which it would like to begin the cleanup process with. Some of these sites, such as military bases and former Rust Belt cities which had long have been deemed unnecessary to rebuild, as they hold no strategic value or are in otherwise uninhabited areas. Others, such as Erie, Pennsylvania have already been quietly re-settled over the years by the local populace. It should be noted, however, that the Committee strongly dissuades any permanent human inhabitable presence within the direct impact site of any of these sites, instead opting to build memorial parks consisting of vegetation and dedications to the lives lost on Doomsday.

These sites include:


Boston: Cleanup and Resettlement TBD - The cleanup of Boston will likely be overseen by Plymouth and Vermont as the two nations have explored the ruins of the city and dispute long term control. Final arbitration will likely be resolved in the International Court of Justice. Plymouth has announced plans to decontaminate and repopulate the city by 2040 while Vermont has taken a more cautious approach, preferring to remove salvageable materials but leave the region depopulated.


Buffalo: Cleanup (2004-2019), Reconstruction (2010-Present), Resettlement (2013-Present) - Niagara Falls began planning restoration work on Buffalo in the late 1990’s due to radioactive debris from the city breaking loose and crashing over the Falls, which created a health hazard. As regional trade improved, the nation was able to formally begin decontamination in 2004 with the first stages removing the debris that had plagued the it for over two decades.

Rather than restoring the downtown region, which had been targeted on Doomsday, a new downtown was constructed in the former First Ward of the city. Homes were built away from the former center city and ringed the northern and western edges of the new downtown. By 2020, the population stood at around 5,000 people with a heavy military and scientific contingent to both prevent looting of the rest of the former city and monitor the population for negative health effects.

Positive results in the working population by 2009 caused North Pennsylvania to announce plans to restore the ruins of Erie.


Chicago: Cleanup and Resettlement TBD - The cleanup of Chicago will be the largest and most technically involved project due to the size and built up nature of the pre-Doomsday city. It is expected to be a United Communities project and involve most member states. Due to the position, it is expected to fall under the jurisdiction of either Kentucky, the Quad Cities Alliance, or Superior.


Cleveland: Cleanup (2019-2031), Reconstruction (2022-2035), Resettlement (2035) - Cleveland will fall under the jurisdiction of Toledo. Cleanup began on June 30th, 2019 and will continue through 2031 with reconstruction slated to begin in mid-2022. Reconstruction will begin in April 2022 with construction on roadways and temporary bridges being constructed along the pre-Doomsday US Route 6. The new downtown will be built around the former community of Avon Lake and extend to the former Bridgewater District on the western outskirts of Cleveland.


Erie: Cleanup (2011-2023), Reconstruction (2019-2028), Resettlement (2020) - North Pennsylvania began cleanup and reconstruction in the early 2010’s which continues into the 2020’s with a planned completion date of 2023. It was the second major decontamination project to occur with technical support and advice from Niagara Falls based on experience gained from cleaning up the Buffalo region. While Erie was only struck by a single warhead, the radiation severely contaminated Presque Isle Bay and the coastal region of Erie County.

Cleanup initially focused on the far eastern fringes of the city which have been reincorporated into Northwest Harborcreek and resettled as of 2020. North Pennsylvania has announced plans to restore Erie as a port on the Great Lakes.


Hamilton: Cleanup (2021-2032), Reconstruction (2024-2036), Resettlement (2029) - Hamilton has been explored by a joint task force from Canada, London, and Niagara Falls. The city will fall under United Communities jurisdiction as a temporary measure and will revert to either Canadian, Londonite, or Niagran control.

A joint task force of specialists, engineers, general laborers, and decontamination personnel accompanied by military personnel for defense had entered the area on April 1st, 2021 and began cleanup by testing for radioactive debris and returning safe recyclables to London, Niagara Falls, and Sudbury for recycling. Reconstruction of homes and a new downtown are planned to begin in 2024, which will be built up around Barton Street in the former Stoney Creek neighborhood. Resettlement will begin in July of 2029 with a planned initial population of 1,500 civilians, 200 military personnel, and around a dozen scientists or doctors to monitor settlers for any signs of radiation sickness.


Harrisburg: Cleanup (2026-2032), Reconstruction (2030-2035), Resettlement (2034-2040) - Harrisburg is presently disputed by Reading and State College, however both provisional governments still officially consider it to be the honorary capital of Pennsylvania. However, while the territory remains disputed, Reading retains control of the former city. Long term goals are to clean up and restore the city to resume its position as the capital of a reunited Pennsylvania. Reading plans to begin cleanup and while State College disputes control, it has agreed to cooperate in cleanup efforts as radioactive materials still contaminate the southern regions in State College.

Final control of the region may be resolved if the two provisional governments form an agreement to reunify. Barring this, final possession will likely be determined by the United Communities International Court of Justice.


Indianapolis: Cleanup (2029-2040), Reconstruction and Resettlement (TBA) - The ruins of the city of Indianapolis will fall under the jurisdiction of Kentucky, however the nation has not announced if it plans to resettle the city or simply recycle materials and reuse them in building projects across the Commonwealth. It is believed that the city might be partially resettled, however the growing prominence of Evansville will likely result in this city eclipsing Indianapolis as the hub in former Indiana.


Pittsburgh: Cleanup (2028-2036), Reconstruction and Resettlement (TBD) - With significant progress made on Erie, North Pennsylvania has announced plans to begin decontamination of the Pittsburgh region. Recycling will primarily occur in North Pennsylvania with material to be reused on infrastructural projects. Due to the distance between the ruins of Pittsburgh and the population centers of North Pennsylvania, State College, and Virginia, many have called for the city to be rebuilt.


Philadelphia: Cleanup and Resettlement TBA - Reading, Pennsylvania has not officially announced plans to clean up or restore the former city. However it has begun cleanup and repair work in the surrounding suburbs and former metropolitan area. Despite the destruction in the region it is believed that Reading will rebuild near the ruins to gain sea access to the Atlantic markets. Analysts believe that Reading and Susquehanna may utilize the cleanup in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton as a trial run for future restoration work.


Wilkes-Barre and Scranton: Cleanup (2025-2031), Resettlement (TBA) - Will fall under the control of the Commonwealth of Susquehanna. While Susquehanna is coordinating with the United Communities, the nation in conjunction with Reading and State College are planning to begin separate cleanup efforts by the mid-2020’s. Salvageable materials will be divided between Reading and Susquehanna for recycling and reuse in new construction projects while unsafe materials will be buried in the region. The two cities remain in an exclusion zone designated by the Commonwealth and it is unclear if they will be resettled in the future.

Ottawa (TBD) - As of 2023, the Canadian ambassador has petitioned the United Communities Assembly to convene on the possibility of expediting discussion of this project. As talks between Provisional Canada and the Canadian Remainder Provinces continue, the prospect of rebuilding Ottawa as a "middle ground" has picked up steam.

United Communities Peacekeeping[]

The United Communities have developed a peacekeeping arm, similar to the pre-Doomsday United Nations Peacekeeping Force. It is responsible for monitoring the peace process in post-conflict areas, implementation of peace treaties between armed combatants, and security action in hostile territories outside of the jurisdiction of the United Communities member states.

Member states may be requested to contribute military units to the United Communities Peacekeeping Force. However there is no obligation and with many nations in the organization maintaining relatively small militaries it is uncertain the quantity or quality of personnel available. To date, the United Communities has not authorized a peacekeeping operation, though missions to neutralize the Lawrence Raiders occurred with permission from the Security Council.

Headquarters[]

The United Communities are headquartered on Navy Island in Niagara Falls. The United Communities Complex covers most of the island, though there is a large memorial park on the southern edge of the island. While the initial plans were to replicate the plans for the UN complex for Navy Island, the member states quickly realized it was too ambitious and scaled back the buildings and layout. The complex includes the General Assembly Building, the Peace Palace, the Secretariat Building, and the Walter A. Riddell Library.

General Assembly Building[]

The General Assembly Building, housing the United Communities General Assembly, holds the Niagara Hall with a seating capacity of 700 people. The hall has two murals, one painted by an artist from London and the other from Toledo. Two separate meeting rooms hosts the Security Council and the Trusteeship Council respectively.

The exterior is neo-Greco influenced, while the interior has been heavily modified to suite the United Communities General Assembly, Security Council, and Trusteeship Council. It is large enough that it hosts most offices for ambassadors to the United Communities.

General Assembly Building

Peace Palace[]

The Peace Palace hosts the International Court of Justice and offices for the organ. A large law library hosts copies of international legal documents both pre and post-Doomsday. It was built to externally appear to be the same as the building in The Hague, Netherlands that served the United Nations International Court of Justice.

Peace Palace

Secretariat Building[]

The Secretariat Building houses offices for the Secretary-General, as well as the chambers for the Social and Economic and Restoration Committee. It additionally has most of the working office space for the United Communities.

Walter A. Riddell Library[]

The Walter A. Riddell Library is the main library for the United Communities. It acts as a depository for documents and publications by the United Communities and materials gathered by the United Communities or donated by member states. It also serves as a deposit for treaties signed under the auspices of the organization and may hold copies of each member state’s constitution of requested. Dartmouth and Cornell, the last two surviving Ivy League universities, contributed significant deposits of books, pre-Doomsday studies and UN reports, historical documents, and other noteworthy items to the Library.

Other Buildings and Structures[]

There are three smaller office buildings on Navy Island that serve the various administrative functions and provide additional office space for future expansion.

DIAC Building February 2013

Niagara Falls has constructed two bridges, the first from the former Canadian side of Niagara River and the second from Grand Island. Both provide road transportation to the island.

Bridge from Grand Island to Navy Island

There are no airports on Navy Island and any arrival flights for attendees to the United Communities fly into Niagara Falls International Airport outside the city.

Memorials and Monuments[]

The United Communities and member nations have commissioned several pieces of artwork, memorials, and statues that have been installed in the United Communities Complex on Navy Island.

The original Unisphere was installed in Queens, New York in 1964 for the World’s Fair. It celebrated the beginning of the Space Age and the theme of global interdependence. The United Communities commissioned a replica to be constructed in the summer of 2013. It represented the restoration of international relations and the goals of the organization to restore global relations.

Unisphere

Future[]

Members and Applicants[]

There are two levels of membership, there are Members and Honorary Members (Observers). The members make up the core of the United Communities. Honoraries have representation in the

UC members

*Blue: UC Member States*Red: UC Honorary Member States

General Assembly and an optional membership in either the Court of Justice or the Social and Economic Council. All Honoraries have a goal of eventually becoming full-fledged members when it is physically possible.

UC members 2

*Blue: UC Member States*Red: UC Honorary Member States

Members[]

Member State Date of Admission Regional Grouping Notes
DD1983 London ON Civil London-Ontario 4 July 2007 Huron Founding Member
DD1983 Norfolk Haldimand Civil Norfolk-Haldimand 4 July 2007 Canada Founding Member
Flag of Pennsylvania North Pennsylvania 4 July 2007 Mid-Atlantic Founding Member
Toledo 5 Toledo Confederation 4 July 2007 Midwest Founding Member
DD1983 Sudbury Civil Sudbury 4 July 2007 Huron Founding Member
DD1983 Niagara Falls Civil Niagara Falls 13 August 2007 Canada
Canada Pearson Pennant 1964 Waterloo 4 September 2007 Huron
Flag of Superior Superior 4 July 2009 Huron
Flag of Madison, Wisconsin Wisconsin 4 July 2009 Midwest
Flag of Vermont Republic Vermont 1 January 2010 New England
Flag of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Saguenay 4 July 2010 Canada
Flag of Kentucky Kentucky 4 July 2011 Midwest
Flag of New York Republic of New York 4 July 2011 Mid-Atlantic
DD1983 Pelee Civil Pelee 1 January 2012 Midwest
Flag of Pennsylvania State College 1 January 2012 Mid-Atlantic
DD1983 Keene Flag Civil Keene 1 January 2013 New England
DD1983 Plymouth MA Civil Plymouth 1 January 2013 New England Unified with Outer Lands. Seat retained until 2026.
New England pine flag Aroostook 1 January 2014 Canada
DD1983 Commonwealth Susquehanna Flag Civil Commonwealth of Susquehanna 1 January 2014 Mid-Atlantic
New Jersey Skylands
Flag of New Jersey (1896-Present)
4 July 2015 Mid-Atlantic
DD1983 Quad Cities Civil Quad Cities Alliance 1 January 2016 Midwest
Northern Townships 1 January 2018 New England
Flag of the Outer Lands (Doomsday) Outer Lands 1 January 2018 New England
DD1983 Reading PA Civil Reading, Pennsylvania 1 January 2018 Mid-Atlantic
Flag of New YorkLake Placid 25 March 2023 Mid-Atlantic

Honorary Members[]

These members have representation only in the United Communities General Assembly with observers in the Court of Justice and the Economic and Social Council. However they are not eligible for a seat on the Security Council or representation in the Secretariat. As communications and transportation improve they will most likely become full members but in the meantime they are limited members.

Member State Status Granted Notes
Flag of Canada Canada 1 July 2011
US flag with 14 stars by Hellerick United States 1 January 2020

Ambassadors and Observers[]

In addition to full members and honorary members, several more distant, powerful nations maintain diplomatic missions in Niagara Falls, who represents their respective country to all of the member states. While they are not allowed in the General Assembly they are allowed to observe and report the political discussions taking place and may report happenings to their home nation. So far there are three foreign ambassadors in Niagara Falls to the United Communities, the Celtic Alliance, Greenland, and the North American Union though this may change in the future as several nations in the Great Lakes have begun expanding their international communications grid to include several other European nations.

Observer Date Observer Status Granted Notes
Banniel Keltia Celtic Alliance 4 July 2016
Flag of Greenland (1973 proposal) Greenland 1 January 2017
Flag of the North American Union.svg North American Union 4 July 2019 Possible future membership or honorary member status for all NAU member states by 2024

Applicants[]

After a United Communities General Assembly session shortly after the Saguenay War decided that further expansion would be slightly reviewed, any future expansion into the Community was organized into Acceptance Sessions, which occur every 11 months.

Applicant Application Date Notes
Delmarva September 25th, 2022
Outer Banks March 1st, 2023

Future Expansion[]

The United Communities has approached Gettysburg regarding membership. However, the nation has rebuffed efforts, likely due to the influence of Virginia.

Advertisement