ITSMUN 2018 BACKGROUND GUIDE - The Joint Crisis Committee

ITSMUN 2018
BACKGROUND GUIDE
The Joint Crisis Committee

LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

Esteemed Delegates of ITSMUN’17,
Welcome all participants of ITSMUN 2018. I am thrilled to be writing this
letter as your Secretary General. ITSMUN was founded 4 years ago, and it
has been my utmost pleasure to witness it grow into the amazing
conference. We owe this amazing growth to the founders and the people
who believed in it. And we have continued to work non-stop each and
every year to make it better. We also owe a great deal to you as the
participants, for I can not imagine a conference without delegates.

As I mentioned no MUN conference cannot thrive without its delegates.
But I also believe that delegates must work just as hard as the exec team
because at ITSMUN you will tackle great issues that the world faces today
and you must be informed on the current situation and the history of the
issues and more. There is no better place to start informing yourself than a
Study Guide. Your Under Secretary Generals and I myself have put in a
great deal of work to prepare these guides. So I advise you to read them.
But I also advise you to not limit yourself to the guides because it is
impossible to write every detail in them. Thus, further reading is a must.

All in all, I cannot wait to see you all at the conference and finally witness
our conference come to life.

Best Regards,

Secretary General

Zeynepnaz Coşkun

LETTER FROM THE UNDER SECRETARY-GENERAL
Dear Delegates,

Welcome to ITSMUN’18! My name is Melis Leyal Gürel and I am one of the founders of this
conference. Last year I graduated from TAKEV Science High School and this year I am a
freshman in Koç University studying psychology. My heart honestly could not bear leaving
this amazing conference, so I came back as an Under Secretary-General to debate about one
of my favourite things on earth: Harry Potter.

This year as the Ministry of Magic, we are going to try to come up with solutions regarding
the issues of Improvement of the Co-Operation within the Wizarding World. You may think
that the class differences began to exist after the war, however it is not the case. Even before
the war, discrimination existed between muggles and magical beings, between house elves
and dwarfs and wizards and even within wizarding schools. This particular issue prevents us
from co-operating, therefore improving the quality of life within our magical world, meaning
that it requires immediate action.

I am very excited to be working with you and I am looking forward to seeing the passionate
and resolution-driven debate, diplomatic cooperation and inventive solutions that will come
out of this committee. ITSMUN is a tremendous event for you
to hone your MUN skills, meet lifelong friends and have unforgettable experiences. I love
getting to know my delegates so feel free to approach to the dais at some point to say hello.
Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns you may have regarding
this committee, ITSMUN or MUN in general; before, during or after the
conference.

I wish you success with your research and a fruitful debate during the sessions.

Best regards,
Melis Leyal Gürel
Under Secretary-General of the Joint Crisis Committee: Ministry of Magic
mgurel17@ku.edu.tr

TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION ONE: General Information Regarding the
Committee Topic and Research
A. The Committee: Joint Crisis Committee: Ministry of
Magic
B. The Topic: Measures to Improve Co-operation within
the Wizarding World
SECTION TWO: The Topic: Measures to Improve Co-
operation within the Wizarding World
1.Statement of the Problem
2.History of the Problem
3.Current Situation
4.Members of the Ministry of Magic and Expert Guests
5.Questions a Resolution Must Answer
SECTION THREE: Closing &Bibliography
1.Closing Remarks
2.Handouts and References

SECTION ONE: General Information Regarding the
Committee Topic and Research
A. The Committee: Joint Crisis Committee: Ministry of
   Magic

The JCC: Ministry of Magic Committee aims to ensure the safety of wizards and magical
beings and to create harmony and peace in the magical world by preserving the magical law.
The laws that have been created in this platform will be enacted immediately and they depend
on the approval of the Minister of Magic (Under Secretary-General). Since the Wizarding
World is in a post-crisis situation, we have experts from various areas such as professors,
students, potions masters, aurors and the Muggle Prime Minister.

B. The Topic: Measures to Improve Co-operation within
the Wizarding World
Especially after the Battle of Hogwarts, the already existing discrimination has rapidly
increased, therefore measures have to be taken regarding the interaction between Muggle-
born wizards, Half-bloods and Pure-bloods, between wizards and magical creatures and
within wizarding schools. Here, it is expected from you to discuss these matters while also
finding solutions to controversial issues like the role of housing systems in schools and
respectively the house cup. These concepts are going to be explained more thoroughly in this
background guide.

SECTION TWO: Measures to Improve Co-operation
within the Wizarding World
(1) Statement of the Problem

After the Battle of Hogwarts, the prejudice towards muggle-born wizards has increased
drastically, leading to a mistrustful and paranoid community. This is an incredibly important
issue for the Ministry of Magic who keeps the Wizarding World united and harmonious. It is
the Ministry’s duty to ensure unity in the community and regain trust from the wizards and
other magical beings.

The second problem that needs to be addressed is the societal differences of various magical
beings and the effects of these differences within society. It is very essential to ensure equality
of opportunity for all wizards and magical beings. Since the war, much hate is grown and in
order to ensure the safety of the Wizarding World this issue needs to be solved with the
leadership of the Commission for Wizarding Equality.

The third problem is the discrimination within the wizarding schools especially the Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It is a very common view that the housing system that
constitutes of four houses (Slytherin, Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff), actually
enforces the students to discriminate each other for the sake of house cups or simply because
of the fact that they are from different houses. If we want unity now, we should seek unity in
the future. To ensure that we need to educate our students in the best possible environment.

(2) History of the Problem
The Battle of Hogwarts
The Battle of Hogwarts was the conflict that ended the WWII (The Second Wizarding War) in
May 2nd ,1998 within the premises of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The
leader of the Death Eaters, Lord Voldemort ordered attack when he heard that Harry Potter,
Dumbledore’s Army and the Order of the Phoenix was going to destroy one of his horcruxes
(a fragment that holds the soul of a dark wizard or witch for the sake of immortality). The
battle ended with the victory of the Order and Dumbledore’s Army, leaving many fatalities
behind from both sides such as Lord Voldemort, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Fred Weasley
and Nymphadora Tonks.

•   Order of the Phoenix
The Order of the Phoenix is a secret gathering initiated by Albus Dumbledore against Lord
Voldemort and the Death Eaters. The known members are Alastor Moody and Kingsley
Shacklebolt who were also leaders, Alice and Frank Longbottom, Severus Snape and Minerva
McGonaghall.

   •   Death Eaters
The Death Eaters are the followers of Lord Voldemort which include wizards who are pure-
blood supremacists who practice Dark Arts and have no fear regarding law. The members of
the inner circle have dark marks burned into their forearm. Members include Bellatrix
Lestrange, Barty Crouch Jr., Narcissa-Lucius-Draco Malfoy, Peter Pettigrew and Severus
Snape (as a spy).
   •   Dumbledore’s Army
Dumbledore’s Army a.k.a D.A. is a secret organization founded by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley
and Hermione Granger aiming to teach proper defence against the dark arts to other students
in Hogwarts during the time when Dolores Umbridge was appointed as the Headmistress.

(3) Current Situation
In order to ensure unity throughout the Wizarding World, it is essential to manage the three
aforementioned segments of this issue. First, being the Muggle-born and Pure-blood
interactions; second, being in sync with other magical beings such as house elves and goblins
and third; ensuring the prevention of discrimination among schools, in our case: Hogwarts
School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"
Muggle-born /Pure-blood Interactions and Other Magical Beings
"You place too much importance, and you always have done, on the so-called purity of
blood! You fail to recognise that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to
be!"
-Albus Dumbledore (Rowling,2000)

    Muggle-born Child: A child born with magic from no-magic (muggle) parents.
    Pure-blood supremacists refer to them as ‘M*dblood’, which is a very offensive term that
    suggests that their blood is dirty. Muggle-borns were forced to register within the
    Ministry’s Muggle-born Registration Commission until Voldemort was defeated. Muggle-
    borns include Lily Potter, Hermione Granger, Colin Creevey and Myrtle Elizabeth Warren.
    Half-blood Child: A child whose ancestry consists of both muggles and wizards. Since the
    magic gene is dominant, if the child has one magical parent, they will also possess magic.
    Half-bloods include Harry Potter, Albus Severus Potter and Severus Snape.
    Pure-blood Child: A child with no muggle ancestry is a Pure-blood child. Pure-bloods are
    very uncommon and the number of Pure-blood families are declining drastically. Pure-
    blood families include the Malfoys, Blacks, Slytherins and Slughorns.

"The pure-blood families are all interrelated. If you’re only going to let your sons and
daughters marry pure-bloods your choice is very limited; there are hardly any of us left."
—Sirius Black referring to how all pure-blood families are related (Rowling, 2003)

•   Squibs: Squibs are individuals who do not possess magic but come from wizarding
        families. Squibs include Argus Filch and Arabella Figg.
    •   Other Magical Beings: Also known as H*lf-breeds are humans with at least one non-
        human parents or humans who have H*lf-breed ancestors. The term H*lf-breed is
        considered offensive by these magical beings, but no other word was coined to cover
        this type of beings. Centaurs are, however a different species so they shouldn’t be
        confused with h*lf-breeds. H*lf-breeds include Rubeus Hagrid (part-giant) and Fleur
        Delacour (part-veela).

        "
    •   House Elves: Are magical creatures who are incredibly devoted to their masters for
        their whole life. They are able to perform very strong magic without a wand but they
        can only be freed when presented with an item of clothing by their master. House-
        elves include Dobby, Kreacher and Winky.

"

The Issue of Discrimination Within Wizarding Schools (The Hogwarts Case)
The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been known to include four houses
which, according to them help to increase the school spirit. However, it is currently debated
whether these houses promote discrimination among students by pre-judgement and bias
regarding the characteristics of the houses. House points do not help either, just for a house

cup, the students who are from different houses regard each other as rivals and the regulations
are not strict either. Everything from illegally making polyjuice potion and sneaking out after
curfew to forming Dumbledore’s Army should have meant docked points. (McMurray, 2015)
The Houses of Hogwarts (in alphabetical order):

"

Gryffindor: "You might belong in Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry, set Gryffindors apart"
   —The Sorting Hat (Rowling ,1997)

    Founder                                       Godric Gryffindor
    Colours                                       Red and Gold
    Animal                                        Lion
    Element                                       Fire
    Key People                                    The Potters, Hermione Granger, the
                                                  Weasleys, Minerva McGonaghall, Albus
                                                  Dumbledore, Neville Longbottom, Peter
                                                  Pettigrew, Sirius Black

Hufflepuff: “You might belong in Hufflepuff, where they are just and loyal,
Those patient Hufflepuffs are true, and unafraid of toil"
         —The Sorting Hat(Rowling,1997)
    Founder                                   Helga Hufflepuff
    Colours                                   Black and Yellow
    Animal                                    Badger
    Element                                   Earth

Key People                                   Cedric Diggory, Teddy Lupin, Pomona Sprout,
                                             Nymphadora Tonks, Newton Scamander

Ravenclaw:"Or yet in wise old Ravenclaw, if you've a ready mind,
Where those of wit and learning, will always find their kind."
       —The Sorting Hat(Rowling,1997)
        Founder                                      Rowena Ravenclaw
        Colours                                      Blue and Bronze
        Animal                                       Eagle
        Element                                      Air
        Key People                                   Luna Lovegood, Cho Chang, Helena
                                                     Ravenclaw, Padma Patil, Myrtle Warren

Slytherin:"Or perhaps in Slytherin, you'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means, to achieve their ends."
—The Sorting Hat(Rowling,1997)
Founder                                      Salazar Slytherin
Colours                                      Green and Silver
Animal                                       Serpent
Element                                      Water
Key People                                   Severus Snape, Horace Slughorn, the Malfoys,
                                             Andromeda Tonks, Bellatrix Lestrange, Tom
                                             Riddle

(4) Members of the Ministry of Magic and Expert Guests
Amelia Susan Bones: Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Arthur Weasley: Head of the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit
Defensive Spells and Protective Objects
Draco Malfoy: Current owner of the Malfoy Manor
Ginevra Weasley: Senior Quidditch Reporter for the Daily
Harry Potter: Head of Auror Office
Hermione Granger: Deputy Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement
Horace Slughorn: Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts

Kingsley Shacklebolt: Minister of Magic
Luna Lovegood: Magizoologist
Matilda Grimblehawk: Beast division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of
Magical Creatures
Minerva McGonaghall: Headmistress of Hogwarts
Myrtle Warren: A ghost who resides in Hogwarts
Neville Longbottom: Herbology Professor at Hogwarts/Auror
Percy Ignatius Weasley: Head of the Department of Magical Transportation
Ronald Weasley: Former Auror/Co-manager of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes
Rubeus Hagrid: Professor of Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts
Theresa May: The Muggle Prime Minister
Winky the House Elf: The House Elf of Hogwarts
Cornelius Fudge: Former Head of the Ministry of Magic
Filius Flitwick: Charms Master at Hogwarts
Amber Rudd: British Conservative Politician
Argus Filch: Caretaker of Hogwarts
David Cameron: Former Prime Minister of Great Britain

Points a Resolution Must Cover:

 1. What measures should be taken in order to ensure the integration of magical beings such as
    ghosts, house elves, goblins and so on to the decision-making processes/or should they be
    included at all?
 2. What measures are essential to minimize the muggle-born/pure-blood conflicts?
 3. Should the house points be abolished in Hogwarts?
 4. How can we solve the issue of discrimination caused by the housing system in Hogwarts? Should
    the houses be terminated?
 5. What kind of penalties should exist regarding the treatment of house-elves?

SECTION THREE: Closing & Bibliography
(1) Closing Remarks
Dear Delegates,
I hope you found this background guide useful and enlightening. Naturally, this guide does
not include everything that is necessary for your personal preparation , however it covers the
main ideas and points that will be discussed throughout the sessions .If you have any
questions or concerns regarding your character or a concept, feel free to e-mail me and I will
respond to you as soon as I can.
Best,

Melis Leyal Gürel
Under Secretary-General of the Joint Crisis Committee: Ministry of Magic
mgurel17@ku.edu.tr

(2) Handouts and References
Rowling, Joanne. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,1997.
Rowling, Joanne. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,1998.
Rowling, Joanne. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,1999.
Rowling, Joanne. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,2000.
Rowling, Joanne. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,2003.
Rowling, Joanne. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,2005.
Rowling, Joanne. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,2007.
McMurray, Kate. Five Topics for the Hogwarts Debate Team,2015. http://
www.quirkbooks.com/post/5-topics-hogwarts-debate-team
Rowling, Joanne. Ministers for Magic. Pottermore.
https://www.pottermore.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/ministers-for-magic
Vander Ark, Steve. The Wizengamot,2015.
https://www.hp-lexicon.org/thing/wizengamot/