ICWW Summit: Day 1

Posts : 1364 Join date : 2015-12-20

Day 1

The proceedings began at exactly 9 a.m. on the 5th of June, 2023, the huge double doors to the gargantuan conference room closing with a clear message. Late comers were not allowed. Presiding over the day's meeting, Secretary Ng Yu Soh stood gracefully from her seat at the head of the conference, delivering the perfected welcome address and outlining the rules - once again - for the benefit of all delegates. Each representative would be given ten minutes to outline why they wished for a Yay or Nay on the matter of abolishing the Statute of Secrecy held aloft for close to four hundred years. Once an explanation would be given, the representative would utter an explicit "Yay" or "Nay".

Ng Yu Soh's address summarized the current state of the statute, how there was no point in denying that it was more holes than shield these days, how there was simply not enough manpower to police every territory and so the statute's survival could only be possible if every representative endorsed it in his or her own territory.

Finally, she opened the floor to all those gathered while an assistant released a banner with the list of countries gathered, in alphabetical order. This would symbolize their turn. The first delegate to speak up would be Algerian.

List of countries being represented:

Algeria
Azerbaijan
Belgium
Canada
China
Denmark
Dominican Republic
El Salvador
Fiji
Finland
France
Georgia
Germany
Greece
India
Japan
Jordan
Kuwait
Serbia
Somalia
Spain
Sri Lanka
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America

Posts : 39 Join date : 2021-06-28

Lucien wrote:

Spoiler:

Lucien stood when he was introduced, swallowing his nerves. He approached the podium, his papers in a neat stack in front of him, and stood straight, projecting as much confidence as he could muster. He nodded at the Vietnamese secretary who was moderating the conference.

“Thank you, Secretary Soh. Ladies, gentlemen, my esteemed associates, I am honored to be here with you today. As the sitting mayor of Ottawa for the past four years, the plight of wizards in the non-magical community has not escaped my attention.

“Four years ago, the Canadian Minister for Magic contacted me regarding an issue faced by a large number of my constituents: the number of magical children born to non-magical parents is increasing every year. As wizarding society shifts to become less hostile towards those without magic, many seemingly non-magical people unwittingly carry magical genes, which they pass on to their children. Unfortunately, as this number grows, so does the number of those who slip under the radar.

“In Canada, wizards have merged almost seamlessly with the rest of society. Wizards are marrying non-magical spouses, working non-magical jobs, and even, like me, holding public office in the non-magical government. An estimated ten percent of my voter base are of magical heritage--an astonishing number, considering they make up only an approximate seven percent of Canada. Canadian wizards and witches are involved in all aspects of non-magical society, from politics, to education, to family. They care about the affairs of our country. They are wizards, yes, but they are also Canadians.

“As such, all of them, magical and non-magical alike, are my responsibility. And now I ask you, how can I make the best decisions for my people, when I am not permitted to inform ninety-three percent of them of the other seven percent’s existence? How am I supposed to ensure the safety and comfort of seven percent of my population, when I am unable to address them directly?

“For the past four years, I have worked tirelessly alongside the Canadian Ministry of Magic to make the best decisions for our people--all of our people. But I cannot pass legislation for the benefit of the wizarding community if the majority of my Council is unaware of their existence.

“Magical children everywhere are uninformed of their abilities. They are confused, their parents can't help them, and though the Ministry struggles to locate and accommodate all of them, our system is far from perfect. If we were able to provide public support for young wizards and witches, we could make sure that none of them feel broken or cast out because of who they are. Instead, we must act discreetly, and our secrecy costs us, on average, at least two eleven-year old children per year in the province of Ontario who are missed by the system we’ve set up. It is not many, but it adds up.

“Canadian wizards are already well-integrated into non-magical society. If one in fourteen of us is wizardkind, then just about every non-magical citizen has at least one friend, one family member, one coworker who is of magical descent. Wizards and non-wizards have been peacefully coexisting for decades, many just don’t know it yet. I have complete faith in the people of Canada, that we will not let one revelation rip us apart. That if the Statute is removed, and wizards are free to be acknowledged, we will not betray or reject our own friends and families for something they cannot control. We are better than that.

“On behalf of the people of Canada, I propose an end to this archaic Statute of Secrecy. It is long past its time, and it has outlived its usefulness. The contract was signed three hundred and thirty years ago. Three hundred and thirty years ago, it was necessary. It was a different world. We have come a long way since the witch trials of the late seventeenth century. We’ve seen unimaginable social progress. This day, therefore, is long overdue.

“We have reached a point in our history where the Statute has begun to do more harm than good. Wizards can no longer be burned at the stake for existing, but they can be overlooked by those who mean to aid them. The Minister and I are trying to do right by our people, but it is impossible to do so to the full extent of our potential, as long as we are limited by this one outdated law.

“Our goal in this day and age is no longer simply survival. It is prosperity, comfort, and success for all people. The days of hiding are over. We possess the means to exist. What we need is the means to thrive.

“Yay, the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy must be abolished, for the betterment of wizardkind, and in order to reach the full potential of our society. Thank you.”

Lucien gave a slight bow as he removed his papers from the stand and returned to his seat.

Posts : 39 Join date : 2021-06-28

Valentina wrote:

Spoiler:

Being raised in such a small country her whole life, it was more than intimidating to see what countries she surrounded herself with. Valentina knew that the main players were also the countries that forcefully colonized her own, but she wanted to stand out. Yes her country was small, and yes it was considered poverty stricken, but Central America stood strong within the countries surrounding them.

One and on she heard each and every representative make their speech. And for each one she smiled politely and clapped out of respect; she tried not to allow her displeasure to show. She knew often times her husband had at one point told her she wore her heart on her sleeve, and it was best to hide it from the world unless you were ready to play those cards.

So as her fellow Latinx country finished his speech she found herself getting up. The room soon was silent and her heels clacked as she confidently walked towards the podium. Moving a strand of hair behind her ear she found herself speaking, not from her notes but from her heart.

"Buenos dias everyone. I am glad that we are all here to take part in a monumental moment, one that can hopefully move us towards a more positive perspective in life. And while I may not have as much grandeur as the other countries here, I'd like to take a second to share a bit about myself and my country."

"I was raised in a small village where people feared magic. Anyone deemed a 'bruja' would be immediately blamed for any misfortune that came to the neighbors and their houses would be set ablaze. Let me remind you that this was a few decades ago. My family" she took a deep breath. " They abandoned me as they realized that their child was
'cursed'. And let me tell you as a child and being different and not knowing why is a frightening thing.

I propose a change in mindset. Once, hundreds of years ago, imperialists came to my country, and my neighboring brethren and took our identity. They burned our magic books, our healers, our history. The magic roots of our Native people where pushed down and repressed by our overlords.

Before, integration was a natural thing, it brought with it the magic that nature carried, from healing to language. And I think we need to bring it back. Let us bring up our future generation in an accepting society where the fears of standing out and of being labeled 'freaks' are removed and where muggle families can educate themselves and provide a safe haven for their muggleborn children. I think with the divisiveness within our society, what would bring the most unity than integration.

This law was passed centuries ago where the way to remove power was to divide the people. They share our blood, they have the same aspirations as we do, so why not become one society? My vote is Yay. Let us be together and move forward to a closer idea of utopia.

Thank you"

Subject: Re: ICWW Summit: Day 1 Sun Dec 12, 2021 1:54 pm

One by one, Lord and Lady Clement watched their contemporaries step up and disclose the conditions of their countries, of the current political climate, and made an earnest plea in the name of peace. The pattern remained the same no matter which way they voted, and after the third representative, a clear pattern emerged. All these world leaders sought the impossible, a utopia that would never exist let alone last. Luckily the Clements had no such notions.

When France was called to the podium, both the Lord and Lady Clement stood. This was not a conference to bring dates and plus ones to. Both of them were here in their equal capacity as rulers and so had decided to give their speech together. The decision had been well guarded, even their speech writers hadn’t known. It had been up to Louis and Vanessa to combine their points late into the night after the wordsmiths had done their work. Dressed in some o the finest French embroidery known to mankind and taking Louis’ hand as was second nature, the Lady Clement took the podium, being the first to speak.

“Well met and fair fortunes,” she began, choosing the traditional greeting of the house instead of opting for the professional greeting everyone else would have gone for. “While we hail from the great nation of France, we do more than simply hail from it. As beautiful as she is, France was made on the backs of our family. The Clements have had an active role in steering our nation for the past four hundred years. Our ancestors – including Louis Clement and Claudia Clement the firsts were among the wizards and witches who signed the enacted this statute of secrecy into being. Thomas Clement and Lissette Clement the firsts solidified it after them. Therefore we come to this summit both as keepers of traditions and heralds of the new age.”

Vanessa paused, only for Louis to pick up seamlessly where she had left of. “Much of the burden on the Statute stems from the widespread use of technology both among wizards and Muggles, something the Lady Clement and I have made no efforts to reduce. Progress, we believe, cannot be stopped and so we have done what our House always does, we have nurtured that progress, guided it and made it safe for our people. If traditions are the building blocks of our lives, progress is the upkeep without which our life would fall into disrepair. Tradition and innovation should therefore always be treated with equal importance.” His gaze was steely, direct and unyielding in that last sentence before he too paused to give the floor to his wife once again.

“We do not seek “peace” or a “utopia”,” Vanessa continued smoothly, making sure not to look pointedly at the people who had made use of those words. It wasn’t to offend, it was simply the truth. “France has been at peace these last four hundred years. The revolution steered by our ancestors made sure of that. And France will continue to exist in peace regardless of the decisions made here today. What we seek is order, order to not only maintain but optimize what our nation can do. And that optimization can’t be done with any number of our population unaware of the other. Our predecessors realized this a long time ago and as a result, magic is integrated into our culture in a safe, harmonious way to the point where the statute stands null. A magical child can freely wave his or her wand around Versailles and only be looked at with adoration and smile. Potion shops exist alongside pharmacies and clinics. We have found that rebranding does wonders for a populace.”

“For what is magic if not being able to send emails thousands of miles away at the tap of a key,” Louis continued. “How is the capturing of time and place in picture perfect video detail not an expression of magic? The devices that allow us to track, see, observe and predict the future, these are all magical means invented by Muggles. Our Muggles who seek progress as much as wizards do. The goal of our population is the same, so is our journey. Divisiveness at this point is counterproductive to our aim. So France votes Yay to the abolishment of Statute of Secrecy it helped pass into law all those centuries ago. As leaders and lawmakers of this world, the worse mistake we can make is refuse change. And France will not make that mistake.”

With that, both the Lord and Lady Clement stepped back, signaling their combined speech over. Resuming their seats once more. The distinguished couple settled in for the rest of the afternoon, taking sparse notes and maintaining a laser focus on what was being said and shown.

________________________________________________

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Posts : 39 Join date : 2021-06-28

Aldric wrote:: When Aldric had decided to attend the Summit, he had been of firm belief that he would vote against the abolishment for the Statue of Secrecy however as he sat in the room and listened to his fellow wizards and witches talk about their own reasons to lift the statue, his opinion was slowly changing and in the back of his mind he could hear the experserated voice of his daughter as she chatted with him the morning before through the floo.

"Papa, for the love of Merlin and Morgana, whatever you do, please listen to the arguments of the others before voting yourself. Don't vote against something that could see you get lynched."

He had agreed initially so that Roxanne would get off his back about it however now, he was feeling that his daughter had some type of seer power because there was no way she could've known about his opinion being swayed.

When it was his turn, Aldric looked at his cards before discarding them; he'd speak from his heart and not from something that he had written down with help. Making his way up to the front the German wizard looked at everyone that was watching him and the man let a soft sigh escape him.

"When I first heard about the summit I had been quick to make a decision that I would vote against the lifting of the statue." He started, maybe not at the point where he should've started but it was a point that he felt was best said first. "Germany, as a whole, is scared of rocking the boat so to speak. Lifting the statue, a thing that had been in our world for many centuries, is what we are going to be basically doing. Many centuries of being carefully hidden away from the muggle eyes are going to be unravelled when we lift the statue."

He was being careful about what he said however seeing as this was the first day, Aldric felt that for now, his inital opinion was alright. Whether it would change in the next few days was an enitrely different topic.

"I feel that we shouldn't be integrated with the muggle world." He stated calmly. "The muggles are much more advanced then us, more in the 21st century then we are. We have only just started to introduce telephones, televisions and electronics into our lives. The muggles had them for many years. They, as a whole, are dangerous. When we abolish the statue and they find out about us, what will we do when they will expect us to help them with problems that even we don't have an answer to? How can we say that they won't turn on us when we won't be able to save their loved ones from cancer? How can we even think that they won't turn their muggle guns on us when we refuse to help in their wars?"

As the leader of the Underground in Germany, Aldric knew how scary muggles could be. He had been on the receiving end of their fury more then once, thankfully, he had escaped unscathed but he couldn't say that he would be able to do that all the time.

"I say Nay to abolishing the statue." He was firm and his blue eyes glinted. "Unless we can be sure that we won't get annihilated because the muggles think us a threat, I think the statue should stay."

He left the podium and made his way back to his seat, his eyes focused straight ahead and not at the people that were watching him.

Posts : 39 Join date : 2021-06-28

Airi wrote:: Dressed in impeccable robes, the Japanese Minister of Magic, Airi, was listening to her fellow witches and wizards with one ear, making notes in a spiral notebook about each of the leaders that came to the summit. Some points she ticked as she made them while others she crossed, she wasn't that impressed with many of them, the ones that did make an impact on the Japanese female were the French leaders, however even they made points that she would need clarification on.

The moment the podium was clear and it was her turn to speak, Airi placed her stationary down before swiftly making her way to the front, her blue eyes a stark contrast against her brown hair and tanned complexion. The woman made a striking impression with her immaculate dark blue robes and her hair pulled into a messy bun at the base of her neck.

"Well met." Airi started off, bowing her head towards her fellows. "As the current Minister of Magic in Japan, I had been elected to join this summit and make my own opinion towards the lifting of the Statue known. Japan, for the past two centuries, has been slowly integrating itself into the muggle world. We have wizards and witches living in major muggle cities like Tokyo, Nagashima, Osaka. They interact with their muggle neighbours and send their young children to muggle pre-school and primary schools."

She paused to take a sip of water from the bottle that she had brought with her.

"As a country, we are fully willing to embrace the 21st Century, however as witches and wizards, we fear what the muggles could do. They have guns, missiles, nuclear weapons. They are not harmless as we all may think and with just a single push of a button they can kill us with no remorse." The look on her face was serious as she spoke. "However should we be ale to protect ourselves from those types of killing machines, I have no doubt that we will be able to work together with muggles. For now, I will vote Nay for the lifting of the statue. No matter how much we may want to integrate with the muggle world, they are much too advanced for us to safely live with them knowing about us. Thank you."

She moved away from the podium back to her chair and sat down, taking another sip of her water.

Posts : 39 Join date : 2021-06-28

Yusuf wrote:: Some people speak too much, but all politicians do.

This, at least, was Yusuf's experience with the scum of humanity that now surrounded him. Nevertheless, he would play their game because what else could he do? He couldn't very well tell these people where to put all their words and shallow sentiments. Well, not yet anyway; all in good time, all in good time.

"I apologize, my English is still, how you say working in progress," the Somalian began in a heavy accent that did not betray his actual lingual proficiency. "However, I came across a word in my studies, fri-vo-lous."

He paused here as he stood up and smoothed out his military fatigues.

"My good friend No-ah Webster," he thumped the book in front of him that any self-respecting English speaker would know well. "Tells me fri-vo-lous means 'something of little importance' and it applies to this..."

He paused once more as if struggling with the next word—cultivating an image was important.

"...this farce. Why do we bother declaring our intentions before the actual vote? It seems to me that some people," he glanced over the other delegates. "Some people already, how you say...fffflirt with breaking the statute with im-pu-nity, it has no teeth."

"And so," he spread his arms ever so slightly in a facade of openness. "The sovereign state of Somalia will abstain from declaring its position on this matter until the final vote."

The man nodded once to no one in particular and returned to his seat. If he could avoid it he would not lower himself to the same level as the filthy imperialists. Equity, order, and progress that the other delegates espoused meant nothing. In fact, in a strange way, they might very well all mean the same thing, because in the end the very same people who he sat with would still rule and that was unacceptable, absolutely unacceptable.

Thankfully, times were changing.

He would change them.

Posts : 39 Join date : 2021-06-28

Kamran wrote:: Being second to last to deliver your speech was both a blessing and a curse. It allowed you more time to see how the argument of the convention was going to shape up in the grand scheme of things, which was always a bonus, and with each point made, Kamren scribbled down notes, looking to Mycroft who sat beside him to see whether the younger male was taking this in as avidly as he needed to be. On the flip side, though, being one of the last to speak meant that Kamren's speech was likely going to be tuned out by many and more.

Not that Kamren's speech would change because of that matter.

With the United Arab Emirates speech concluded, Kamren's name was called and the Minister rose to his feet, fastening the button of his suit back in to place as he moved towards the podium, notes in one hand and face serious. He knew this was a big speech, but he was in no manner of the word nervous.

"Good day, everyone." Kamren greeted the room, breaking out a small smile to the rest of the room because he wanted to be likeable. "I know all of us have been sat patiently for the last few hours listening to these speeches, and I understand by now many of you will be clock watching rather than actively listening, but if I could please ask of you to try to concentrate for just a few minutes it will aid all of us in our decision making over the next couple of days."

A small laugh from Kamren showed that whilst he did want everyone to listen, he knew that it was likely the question would fall upon many deaf ears.

"The Statute is, in my opinion and the opinion of my council, an important, and worthwhile measure set out to protect us from the Muggles of the world. Now, when I use the term Muggles, I don't mean them all, oh no. The lady who lives next to me back in Ireland is the sweetest lady in existence, a Muggle, who would not harm a soul.

"I talk of the Muggles who would see our talents for their own gain. Muggles who would seek to exploit our powers for mass destruction, as intimidation threats, as weapons of war." Kamren continued, pausing for a moment to look out across the many faces. "I look out at each of you now, and I see people who have children." At this point, Kamren's eyes fell to the Ministers he knew to have children, the Clements being one of them especially because their vote contradicted his view. "I see people who have significant others here on the island." Here, Kamren looked to the Canadian delegate, the American delegate, and a few others -- to say Kamren had not done his homework since arriving would be a mistake. "And to those who do not fall in to these categories, your parents, your friends, other family members whom you hold dear."

For a moment, Kamren paused, allowing each of the delegates to decide which member of their family or friends they might wish to think of.

"I ask you, how could you live with yourself if your idea of a perfect utopia that you believe will be present when you remove the Staute doesn't come in to fruition? How would you feel knowing your vote leads to the potential exploitation of your children, your wife, your girlfriend, your family, friends...?" Kamren asked, waiting once more for those words to sink in.

"As a father, and husband, I can assure you that I will never, ever, put the people I love, cherish and protect in harms way. The abolition of the Statute cannot guarantee safety. It can not guarantee our children's futures will be brighter. The abolition of that Statute will only throw the world in to realms of uncertainty that we cannot possibly know the effects of in this present moment."

Kamren allowed one last short pause. "I, on behalf of the United Kingdom, will be voting Nay to this current debate, the Statute cannot be removed overnight, it shouldn't be removed overnight, without the outcome being known. Without knowing our children, our loved ones will be safe. Those who vote Yay to this debate are throwing the Magical future as we know it in to the fire, and Merlin... I hope you don't make us all burn."

With that, Kamren uttered a soft thank you, before moving back to his seat beside Mycroft.

Subject: Re: ICWW Summit: Day 1 Sun Dec 12, 2021 2:00 pm

Unlike all the old hands at the Summit who had likely attended such important conferences for years now, Jackson was both new at this and highly excited by it. The young wizard tried to put on a good front of course; it wouldn’t do to embarrass the United States by seeming too eager. But the shine in his eye and the straightness of his back along with his attentiveness even late into the afternoon couldn’t be helped. After all, he was up last. And whether this was by design or coincident, he was now the showstopper.

When the British Prime Minister resumed his seat – Jackson was far more impressed by his accent than his actual points – it was the American wizard’s cue. Barely waiting to be called upon, the young politician was on his feet and making his way to the dais to put forth his own argument. On his way, he passed the Somalian delegate, a man who had chosen to make his speech in broken English as opposed to getting an interpreter. Nothing about the man sat right with Jackson, but the young man had no time to contemplate that now.

“Good afternoon,” Jackson greeted before the greeting was followed in several versions for the Jewish, Muslim, Indian and Asian attendees. Jackson may not have gotten them all, but he was pretty sure he’d managed to integrate a large chunk of the people gathered there. “I speak not only on behalf of the United States of America but also as the youngest nation at this Summit. The Statute was signed before America was an independent territory and even after its establishment, we weren’t as much given a place in the statute as treated much like a subsidiary of Great Britain. This… Is an insult to what we are as a country, and who we are as a people.”

The right show of power inserted, Jackson continued. “We are of course more than capable of making up our own minds, so before we can speak of the Summit, the issue of addressing America as the great nation that it is must be dealt with. In reading the material on the Confederation I was given, I see that the US has no actual standing at the ICWW. That I attend more in courtesy than anything else. And while I thank Secretary Ng for including us, as we say in America, show us the paper.” Another poignant pause before the dark haired male continued.

“As for the actual vote, I would firmly say Nay to the abolishment of the Statute. Not because I fear Muggles or because I think they will fear us. I come from a country where guns are more easily available than bread and butter, where everyone touts freedom of speech without actually taking responsibility for what they say, where racism, homophobia and sexism is defended as “artistic expression” and “civil liberty” and where the people at the very top believe that the poor and middle classes exist to be exploited.” If he didn’t have everyone’s attention before, Jackson hoped he did now. No one had gone so far as to highlight their own motherlands weakest points.

“The “United” States are no longer as united as we would like to see. The divide that began in 2016 has only grown in my nation. Now everything seems to be a source of divisiveness. What party you vote for, what state you’re from, what kind of coffee you get at Starbucks. People are itching for a fight all the time, and revealing the existence of magic in this climate would be nothing short of a catastrophe. While I know American people to have great love, tolerance and acceptance for their brethren, now is not a good time to test that understanding. So for the sake of not dividing my country further, I vote Nay.”

There was pin drop silence in the conference hall by the time he finished, and as Jackson thanked everyone and returned to his position, he couldn’t help but feel this was the calm before the storm.

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» ICWW Summit: Day 3
» ICWW Summit: Gala Dinner
» Day before the Summit ~Closed~