Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite and Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.

As such, spoilers will be present within the article.

The International Confederation of Wizards was a wizarding intergovernmental organisation, roughly equivalent to the United Nations in the Muggle world. British seats on the International Confederation of Wizards were probably selected by the Minister for Magic, possibly subject to the approval of the Wizengamot.

The International Confederation of Wizards was headed by a person who held the title of Supreme Mugwump. The first appointed Supreme Mugwump was Pierre Bonaccord. His appointment was contested by Warlocks in Liechtenstein, due to his opinions on stopping Troll-hunting and rights for Trolls. Liechtenstein, which had been dealing with several nasty Troll communities at the time, refused to attend the first conference, causing trouble for the new institution.[1]

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History

Pre-1692

The first Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards was Pierre Bonaccord, and their first meeting was held in France. Goblins wanted to go, but they weren't allowed, and the magical community of Liechtenstein protested because Bonaccord wanted to ban troll hunting and give rights to trolls. A tribe of Mountain Trolls had been causing a lot of trouble in Liechtenstein, so their wizarding community contested Bonaccord's appointment, and refused to join the Confederation as a result.

The Statute rising

In 1692, the Confederation instituted the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy to hide the wizarding world from the Muggle world. After weeks of discussion, they decided on how the wizarding world would retreat into hiding, including the covering up of various magical beasts and eliminating them from the Muggle consciousness.

In 1750, the Confederation added Clause 73 to the International Statue of Wizarding Secrecy that detailed each wizarding governing body's responsibilities for concealment and possible disciplinary action for any breaches.[2]

In the eighteenth century, after Dorcus Twelvetrees revealed the locations of the MACUSA headquarters and Ilvermorny School to Bartholomew Barebone, a descendant of a Scourer, and almost exposed the wizarding world, MACUSA faced a "humiliating" censure by the International Confederation of Wizards. Rappaport was required to testify before the ICW at a public inquiry, and admitted to them that she could not be certain that all No-Majs exposed to the leaked information had been Obliviated.[3]

On 6 December 1926, the wizarding newspaper The New York Ghost reported that the Confederation had called an emergency meeting to address magical disturbances that were risking exposure of the wizarding world. They threatened to send a delegation to the United States of America, as they thought the increase in the MACUSA Magical Exposure Threat Level to 'Severe: Unexplained Activity' was related to Gellert Grindelwald.[4]

On 7 December 1926, The New York Ghost reported that MACUSA would be working with the Confederation to "crack down on illegal wizards" in New York City.[5]

Several months after Gellert Grindelwald's 1926 arrest and subsequent imprisonment in New York City, the International Confederation of Wizards pressured MACUSA to voluntarily extradite Grindelwald to Europe for the numerous crimes he committed in that region.[6]

On 30 May 1927, The New York Ghost reported that the next International Confederation of Wizards Summit was to take place in London and that President Picquery of MACUSA was to receive a "prestige honour" from the Confederation.[7]

On 30 May 1927, the International Confederation of Wizards, working with the Magical Congress of the United States of America, attempted to extradite MACUSA prisoner Gellert Grindelwald via use of a flying high-security carriage from New York to Europe.[8] Several MACUSA Aurors escorted the carriage on broomstick, while additional Aurors along with the ICW's Head of Incarceration Rudolph Spielman guarded inside. The attempt was ultimately sabotaged by MACUSA worker turned-Grindelwald Acolyte, Abernathy, whom in fact managed to switch places with Grindelwald before the extradition. Grindelwald subsequently attacked the transport in the skies of New York, assuming control of the carriage by killing the Aurors and injuring Spielman, whom he threw off the carriage into the New York Bay, escaping with Abernathy into the night.[9]

In 1927, the wizarding newspaper the Daily Prophet reported that the Confederation had "no conclusions yet" over Gellert Grindelwald's escape from custody.[10]

Following the night of large-scale breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy on 31 October 1981, Minister Millicent Bagnold addressed the Confederation of Wizards with the statement "I assert our inalienable right to party", a statement which eventually became infamous.[11]

Between the wars

In the 1986–1987 school year, the Confederation sent a member to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in order to talk about wizarding schools around the world.[12]

Sometime before 1991, Albus Dumbledore was appointed as a representative of the British Ministry of Magic to the International Confederation and became Supreme Mugwump, but was dismissed from his position following the Ministry's denunciation of Voldemort's return in 1995. He was restored as a member after the Ministry's acceptance of Voldemort's return, in 1996, but not as Supreme Mugwump.[citation needed] The International Confederation of Wizards' Conference was held in the summer of 1994.[citation needed]

In 1995, the International Confederation of Wizards was to hold a conference in Hemel Hempstead.[13]

Known members

Supreme Mugwump

Delegates

Known employees

Possessions

Behind the scenes

The Confederation was originally called the "International Federation of Warlocks" in the first edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban , which means if this was used the organisation would have two names.

, which means if this was used the organisation would have two names. J. K. Rowling stated that the Confederation is the wizarding equivalent to the United Nations. [15]

As such, they have a strong, authoritative presence within all matters of international magical cooperation, as seen by how they have a hand in things like internationally held magical games and sports, keep an eye on the eleven largest wizarding schools through their Educational Office and even have a saying in matters of international magical gatherings, as seen in how a senior attendee of the most recent International Symposium of Animagi addressed the International Confederation of Wizards while complaining about the students from the wizarding school of Uagadou. [ citation needed ]

As a wizarding "equivalent to the United Nations", the International Confederation of Wizards holds a very high level of influence in the wizarding world overall. True, while they are primarily responsible of promoting peace, security, and cooperation and therefore seemingly have no legal authority to undermine the jurisdiction of the wizarding governing body in any given country, there are some evidence that magical governments are indeed, if only partially, answerable to them: One such example is how the International Confederation of Wizards permanently stationed an international task force in the mountains of Tibet in response to the numerous sightings of Yetis by non-magical people, showing that the Confederation has the opportunity to enforce the Statute of Secrecy in countries where the magical government is not up to the task. For example, when a magical government fails to cover up magical incidents for the non-magical community, they may be censured by the International Confederation of Wizards, which even seems to have the power to summon the head of state to the government concerned for a public inquiry, as was the case during the presidency of Emily Rappaport in the late 18th century. [ citation needed ] To be censured by the International Confederation of Wizards seems to be terribly disgraceful and perceived as a "humiliating" experience by the magical governing body in question, serving as a mark of incompetence in regard to their duty of protecting the magical world by means of concealing it from Muggles and may affect how the perception other magical governments have of them. The fact that President Seraphina Picquery, who was known to be a 'formidable witch that few would be happy to cross', felt threatened by the Confederation sending a delegation and British Minister for Magic Damocles Rowle actually was forced to step down shortly after being censured for his anti-Muggle sentiments speaks for how much influence they have. [ citation needed ] As a result, the Confederation appears to have considerably more actual power than the real-world UN, which is fairly often rendered rather ineffectual by various veto provisions and the general lack of a direct mandate to interfere with sovereign governments. While such a mandate is, for complex reasons, near-impossible to establish in the real world (even assuming it were considered universally beneficial, itself a problematic matter), in the Wizarding World the Confederation's heightened influence may stem from the overriding need to maintain the Statute of Secrecy: As, in the era of Muggle mass communication, the Statute is only effective if upheld globally, this creates a strong impetus for not just international cooperation, but also coordination and enforcement, over and above the level seen in the real world. The Confederation appears to be the body responsible for upholding the Statute; hence, its apparent power. [ citation needed ] While the real-world UN oversees a number of similar global initiatives and covenants, the Wizarding World faces an overwhelming, worldwide challenge in the potential for exposure to, and the attendant high risk of subsequent war with, Muggles. There is no direct equivalent in the real world, but perhaps the closest is nuclear weapons oversight, in terms of the severity of the threat in the case of a failure to manage the technology. It is usually the case that UN resolutions relating to nuclear weapons are significantly more stringently and effectively enforced (or rather, a majority of members willing to do so is more easily assembled) than other types of resolutions, e.g. those relating to economic matters, the environment, or the settlement of border disputes. Thus, the International Confederation of Wizards could be seen as operating in the equivalent of a permanent nuclear weapons crisis; the situation precipitated by the events of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them would then be a high point similar to e.g. the Cuban Missile Crisis.

peace, security, and cooperation and therefore seemingly have no legal authority to undermine the jurisdiction of the wizarding governing body in any given country, there are some evidence that magical governments are indeed, if only partially, answerable to them:

Appearances

Notes and references



