Rules for participants (OOC)
In real life, FICT is a geofictional project of a small number of persons that created their own countries. If you have created a fictional country on earth as well and you think that it fits in the FICT rules as stated below, you can send an application to the current participants through the facebook page of the FICT Observer.

1. Introduction
The Forum for International Cooperation and Trade (FICT) is a fictional international organisation of fictional countries on earth. These rules apply to the human participants in FICT, that is, to the creators of those fictional countries. These rules also apply to creators of fictional countries affiliated with the fictional universe in which FICT exists, but that are not members of the fictional organisation FICT.
The rules that apply to the fictional countries that are members of the fictional organisation FICT can be found in the Ísðor Treaty.

2. Definitions
- FICT-universe: the fictional universe in which the fictional organisation FICT and affiliated fictional countries exist.
- affiliated country: a fictional country that is recognised by the creators of the member states of FICT as existing in the FICT-universe.
- member state: an affiliated country that is a member of the fictional organisation FICT.
- creator: the creator of a fictional country.

3. Coordinator
The creator of the member state which Ambassador to FICT serves as Secretary general, is coordinator of the FICT-universe. The coordinator facilitates and manages, whenever necessary, communication between the creators of affiliated countries.

4. External Contacts
External Contacts are contacts between affiliated countries and other countries. Creators of member states and creators of affiliated countries that exhibit frequent interaction with member states, should consider whether contacts between their countries and other countries would affect the FICT-universe and shall consult the creators of the other member states if or when such a contact is likely to occur.

5. Requirements of member states

5.1 Coherence
Member states and other affiliated countries are more or less 'realistic' countries on (contemporary) Earth.

All descriptions of member states, aspects thereof and developments therein, must be internally and externally coherent. That is:
- (internal coherence) the description of the country itself has to be coherent, and 'facts' about the country have to be explainable on the basis of current scientific knowledge; and
- (external coherence) the description of the country has to 'fit' in (or cohere with) its (external) geographical and historical Earth context, including what has already been described about other FICT member states.

No description can be contradictory with previous descriptions or with scientific knowledge, unless no objection exists among the creators of other member states.

5.2 Minimal available information
For all members, the following information (in English) must be publicly accessible - either at Geopoeia or elsewhere - at all times:
- a map of the country showing main geographical features, and its location on Earth;
- an outline of (recent) history, culture, politics, and government;
- basis economic data on (potential) exports and (needed) imports, and the state of the economy.

5.3 Communication
Important events that occur in member states must be communicated (in English) to the creators of all other member states. A record of these events must be publicly accessible - either at Geopoeia or elsewhere - at all times.

6. Admission of affiliated countries
If someone wants to affiliate with FICT a country that (s)he created, then (s)he can do so either by sending an application to the coordinator or by posting it in the FICT-forum at Geopoeia.

After application, the creators of the member states discuss whether the country satisfies with the criteria for membership, in particular those mentioned under chapter 5.1 and 5.2. During this discussion, the creator of the applying country can change details and/or add or remove information about his country, if needed or desired.

If the coordinator thinks the application has been discussed sufficiently, (s)he can inform the creators of th other member states that (s)he wants to come to a decision. Unless more than a third (rounded up) of the creators of the member states replies within reasonable time that they want to continue discussion, a decision on the application will be made.

A country becomes affiliated if a majority of the creators of the member states votes for admission and none of them uses his/her right to veto.

A creator of a member state can only veto an admission if both of the following conditions apply: (s)he explicitly and elaborately explained his/her objections and concerns in the prior discussion; and the recognition of the existence of the affiliated country can be reasonably assumed to affect a member state of the vetoing creator in such a way that this recognition would require him/her to rewrite significant parts of the history of the affected member state.

If an application is rejected, the applying country is considered not to exist in the FICT-universe.

7. Admission of member states
Member states are admitted on the fictional level of the FICT-universe. Governments of affiliated countries may apply for a membership of the fictional organisation FICT. This is done by interaction on the level of the FICT-universe and regulated by the Ísðor Treaty.

8. Ending of membership and/or affiliation
If a creator of a member state or affiliated country wishes to disaffiliate his country from the FICT-universe, (s)he can do so by contacting the coordinator or by posting this wish in the FICT forum at Goepoeia. The creator of the disaffiliating country shall, if at all possible and/or needed, contribute to a smooth transition of the FICT-universe to the new reality in which the disaffiliating country is considered not to exist.

The disaffiliation takes effect when the creators of all the other member states have been informed and the transition of the FICT-universe to the new reality in which the disaffiliating country no longer exists, has been completed as satisfactorily as reasonably possible.

If a member state wishes to end its membership of FICT, but without its creator wishing to disaffiliate this country from the FICT-universe, the necessary measures may be taken by interaction on the level of the FICT-universe in which corresponding regulations are mentioned in the Ísðor Treaty.

If a member state or affiliated country no longer satisfies the requirements of member states as mentioned in chapter 5, the creators of the (other) member states may urge the creator of this member state or affiliated country to take the appropriate measures to change the situation, so that his/her country satisfies said requirements once more. If no positive change can be noted within reasonable time, a discussion about expulsion of the concerned member state or affiliated country may be started. If the coordinator thinks the application has been discussed sufficiently, (s)he can inform the creators of the other member states that (s)he wants to come to a decision. Unless more than a third (rounded up) of the creators of the member states replies within reasonable time that they want to continue discussion, a decision on the expulsion will be made. Expulsion requires two thirds (rounded down) of the votes of the creators of the member states. The expulsion takes effect immediately.

Upon the expulsion of a member state on the creators level, the creators of the remaining member states create a fictional reason why the member state left FICT.

9. Miscellaneous
These rules can be changed by two thirds (rounded down) of the votes of the creators of the member states of FICT.

Anything not covered by these rules, and any issue of interpretation of these rules, is decided by majority vote among the creators of the member states.