Zombie Outbreak Fantastical Committee Background Guide Fantastic Crisis Committee 1

Letter from Newton MUN's Secretary-General 3

Letter From the Director 4

Introduction 5

The Crisis 6

The Disease 6

Origins 6

Refugee Crisis 6

Other Parties 7

Overview of Committee 8

Committee Objectives 8

Points of contingency 8

Delegation Situations 9

European Union 9

UK & Commonwealth 9

American Nations 9

Middle East 10

Holy See 10

Remnants of Africa 11

Guidelines for the Position Paper 11

Bibliography 12

Simplified Delegation List 13

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Santiago Bustamante Secretary General Santiago Ortiz Under Secretary General and ECOSOC Committee Director Carlos Urrunaga DISEC Committee Director Ainhoa Ceballos SOCHUM Committee Director Juan Pablo Muñoz FABC Committee Director Juan Diego Rodriguez HGA Committee Director Marina Velasco and Sebastian Alvino JCC Directors Diego Meza Security Council Committee Director Jorge Fiestas Press Director

Francisco Lyon Fantastic Crisis Committee Director

Gianfranco Zolla Assistant Director Rodolfo Valle Assistant Director

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Letter from Newton MUN's Secretary-General

Dear Delegates and Faculty Advisors,

Welcome to NewMUN 2019! Before anything, I would like to wish you the best of luck in this two-day conference which is going to bring together the best MUN delegates from Lima. I am sure that I will witness the highest level of debate at this conference.

More than as a MUNer, but as a responsible citizen, I understand that the global issues in our world must be solved by the international community. I also understand that MUN delegates don't have the capabilities to take the decisions to change the world, but at least we have the capacity to outrage ourselves when seeing that something is not working for our well being. That capacity to go out and speak for your beliefs, to stand up and raise the flag of your country demanding for consensus, demanding for peace, demanding for the well being of everyone. That capacity is the only way in which countries can move forward, and it is the only way in which we will contribute to building a better world. Maybe a little visionary, but is the truth.

This year, the Newton team has decided to increase the number of committees in order to have a MUN conference of the best quality. The topics that we have chosen tackle issues from the past, present, and future, therefore presenting a challenge for delegates to combine their knowledge and application to reach solutions. In many of the committees, Directors have been prepared to take the flow of the committee to a maximum moment of crisis in order to assess the networking and negotiating skill from delegates.

I will just like to leave you the message, that the only way to be successful is to give your best. As Eric Thomas once said: "You will be successful when you want something as hard as you want to breath".

I wish you the best of luck in your committees and hope you have an amazing time in NewMUN 2019! Sincerely, Santiago Bustamante Secretary-General

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Letter From the Director

Dear Delegates,

I welcome you all to the Fantastic Crisis Committee. My name is Francisco Lyon, and I will be your committee director for NewMUN 2019. This will be my first time acting as a Committee Director, and I hope you are all able to enjoy a wonderful conference.

I am 17 years old and am currently doing the second year of the IB diploma program at Newton College. Throughout my whole life, I have always been drawn to books, because of the millions of possibilities and stories that reside within each of their pages. I have read a large quantity of books throughout my life, from science fiction, to historical novels; but perhaps what has always drawn most of my attention are stories about humanity overcoming great challenges, some which might seem ludicrous, by coming up with equally fantastic solutions.

Up until this point in my life, I have only gone to six MUN conferences. However, after every single one, I have come out feeling as if I have achieved something great. be it because as a committee we managed to solve the issue at hand, or because I grew as a delegate, every conference I have gone to has left me behind feeling accomplished.

Through this committee, I am seeking to challenge each and every one of you to do your best. We, the committee directors, expect to see you all come up with outstanding solutions to the crisis at hand. Benjamin Franklin once said “Out of adversity comes opportunity”, we expect to see you take advantage of those opportunities, and lead humanity forward unto a better future.

We understand that the crisis, by its very nature is fictional, however, we expect you to take it with the same seriousness with which you would enter any other committee. Taking this into account, feel free to contact us, and put forward any questions or doubts that may arise from now until the conference.

Sincerely, Francisco Lyon

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Introduction cruelty of the infection that the local authorities tried to stop its rapid spread, but In mid 2020, the world looked shocked at it was futile. Not long after the minor the reports that started to emerge, of disease became the biggest threat not only neighbors once friendly turned violent, of to the African nations but to the world and children waking up to the sight of their the human race as a whole. parent’s mangled face, reports of chaos and death. Although the reports made Now over half of the population of central international news, given that the disease Africa has been affected, an estimated 200 occurred in isolated sectors of the African Million people have either succumbed to continent, it was quickly dismissed as the disease or are missing, with and an separate occurrences and the international additional estimate of 100 million people community turned a blind eye to the have been forcefully mobilized inside of situation. Africa. With the inability to control the spread of the disease and the lack of a response from the international community the future of Africa looks bleak.

A cure is non-existent and is far from coming to be, with scientific resources spread throughout the world and no unified or coordinated effort the discovery could

A photo of a mob of infected citizens captured on the not come in the foreseeable future. streets of Nigeria (early 2022) Given that the international community has

seen one of the highest counts of casualties The United Nations and all of the of any recent crises, the United Nations has international community lost the chance to called for an urgent meeting of government control the minor disease, instead letting it and other key parties representatives. spread unmonitored for too long making it less manageable with each passing day. Every day, more people became feral, driven by a force outside of their control engaging in violent actions towards even their families and friends. It was only when the big cities inside of Africa faced the HMS Salvation

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disease’s origin. Nonetheless, scientists The meeting is taking place on the have theorized that it may be from the same upcoming June 13th aboard the recently family as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease deployed aircraft carrier HMS Salvation, (vCJD), given the degenerative nature of located a cautious distance off the shores of both diseases. However, this doesn’t Morocco, in order to be able to contact the explain how it is that the disease has spread people still on the African nation without so quickly, given that diseases that being vulnerable to the growing plague. originate from abnormal prions, such as the Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; can only be The Crisis contracted from the consumption of spinal fluid or brain matter. The only thing that is The Disease clear is that no conclusion can be drawn The specifics of the disease are still until the disease is analysed in more detail. unknown, however, from the collected specimens scientists have been able to Refugee Crisis identify that the disease attacks the central As the disease spread through the African nervous system, making its way up to the continent, those who have survived have brain. It leads to the progressive fled north in order to try and escape deterioration of the carriers mind, resulting through Egypt, crossing the Suez Canal. in a feral state of mind, where whoever is The exact number of Refugees is still infected, will show high levels of unknown but, recent reports indicate that aggression, and an incapability to feel pain. the numbers border 100 million. They are currently at the Egyptian border, where The disease has been identified to be they await permission to pass. Due to the Bloodborne, which luckily has limited its total collapse of Africa as a continent, these spread. As of right now, only humans seem refugees have little resources with which to be affected by it, and a state of they can survive, and it is only a matter of quarantine has been imposed through time, before they start running out. Africa, not that it served any purpose, given that by the moment the quarantine was put into effect most if not all African countries had fallen to the disease.

Origins Due to the state of the African continent, no research has been conducted into the

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not taken any official actions as of the moment; nonetheless, it would appear that this cult-like organization is steadily gaining adherents. ● Since the 2016 presidential campaign and the election that African Children in the Egyptian Border followed it, the United States saw (September 2022) its people become increasingly more divided. Extremist groups like Other Parties the violent Antifa (Anti-fascism) ● Among the refugees, there are and other minor parties gained rumours that a new African Warlord traction in this division. In the sight has risen. The rumours do not of the re-election of President identify this person's name, Donald J. Trump and the current however a title that keeps getting crisis these groups have grown and mentioned is “the Shepherd of could represent an internal threat for Uganda”, the rumours suggest, that the American giant. he is claiming to be the new leader ● When the crisis became known to of the African people and that he the public, PMCs (Private military will take them to salvation. The contractors) have gained large limited military forces of the quantities of volunteers seeking to survivors claim that there is no fight. The PMCs have created warlord, and that the international proposals of possible plans of community has nothing to worry actions, that could be taken within about. the African continent. However, any ● Through the Internet, a new military intervention would have to movement has gathered momentum be decided upon, by the and it goes by the name of “Vile international community. Savants”. They promote the spread ● During the beginning stages of the of the infection, by claiming that it Crisis three specimens were is a “blessing” from God and that retrieved, and sent to laboratories in those who are infected are truly Germany, Mexico and Israel, were “enlightened”, as they have returned scientists from the respective to their primal instincts. They have nations are attempting to develop a

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cure, or at the very least a vaccine Points of contingency for this disease. It is the case, that While this committee should seek to solve due to lack of funding research has the crisis in hand through both directives stopped, and the specimens remain and secret actions, these should not drive in custody of the aforementioned the focus away from the discourse during countries. committee. As delegates, you should aim to discuss the points of contingency of the committee, and all delegates should seek to Overview of Committee defend their individual positions rigorously, looking to reach a compromise between Committee Objectives each other, looking for common ground but These are the aims of the committee that not at the expense of the delegations’ you will solve through directives and secret policy. Actions. Make use of your secret actions to These points include: solve those objectives that your delegation ● Are the infected still protected by the considers more crucial. Directives should International Declaration of Human represent a joint effort between the Rights? members of the committee to solve one or ● Should refugees retain their more issues. sovereignty over their lost country, and These include: therefore freedom from international ● Identifying and cataloguing the intervention? plague ● Should extremist groups be marked as ● Stopping or at least mitigating the terrorist organizations if they impede spread of the plague. In order to the international community from prevent further death and solving the crisis? destruction. ● What approach will be taken towards ● Work towards developing a cure, developing a cure? and an appropriate distribution ○ Were and how will the method. research take place? ● Address the humanitarian crisis ○ Where will the funding inside Africa, the need for aid and come from? Who should shelter throughout the continent manage this budget?

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Delegation Situations Since Brexit, the United Kingdom has sought to harden other international treaties European Union and alliances it possessed in order to avoid Germany, France, Sweden, Spain being isolated from the global market. In their ambition, they managed to re-solidify Europe is currently unthreatened by the the commonwealth as a strategic alliance to advancement of the plague, but are the have free trade with other nations like closest developed nations to the affected Canada or Australia. continent and therefore are expected to be hit with huge waves of escaping refugees Like the UK other members of the coming from Africa. Commonwealth have seen the rise of protectionism in their political theatre and These are the nations that endured the so have taken a strong stance against open refugee crisis followed by the conflicts in borders for refugees, fearing not only the the Middle East, considering necessary to economic and social impact those refugees receive and care for those that were would have on the nations but also, and escaping a humanitarian crisis. They more threatening, the possibility of a health maintain their position, however due to breach that could result in the appearance their involvement in the Middle Eastern of the disease inside their nations. Humanitarian crisis, they do not have the same capability to provide aid or attend the American Nations arriving refugees as they had in the past. United States of America, Brazil, Chile, Mexico Given the state of many of these nations, a rise of protectionism grows inside each With the completion of the southern wall, one. In Spain, for example the protectionist and the beginning of the crisis, Donald J. government was elected last year and Trump’s protectionist policies allowed him gained power on the beginning of this year. to win by a landslide the 2020 elections. He The spanish government has announced has made promises to keep America clean that they are seeking to pass the necessary of the “taint”, and appears to be unwilling bills to prevent any more immigrants from to cooperate with the humanitarian crisis at entering the already battered nations. hand. In an unexpected turn of events, both Republican, and Democratic senators alike UK & Commonwealth have come out in support of Trump’s United Kingdom, Canada, Australia policies, as fears of the infection spread like

Fantastic Crisis Committee 10 wildfire, following the measles outbreaks being the first line of defence between the due to Anti-vax culture. infected African country and the rest of the Eurasian continent. This geographical Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, and position has created pressure from the Chilean president Sebastian Pinera have international community, especially the both publicly shown respect for the US’ European Union and its members, to open course of action, and have declared that their borders to the incoming refugees and they will also seek to protect their own in addition to letting the mobilization of aid citizens above all. Although Chile has not through their territory. strongly adhered to that policy compared to Brazil or the USA. While some nations like Lebanon, Jordan and Syria have stated they will open their Quite opposite to that stance, Mexico has borders to both the aid and the refugees, the expressed their willingness to accept nations of Israel, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia refugees, in order to help in any way have strongly pronounced against open possible with the humanitarian crisis. This borders. The problem is that this three raised tension between and its neighbours nations are the closest to the conflict and on the north, the latter stating that Mexico are the ones that refugees would more is threatening against the safety of the easily flee to, and their refusal to receive safety. any refugees forces immigrants to make the dangerous journey through the Middle East Mediterranean to either the ill-equipped Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Saudi ports in Lebanon or the over-saturated Arabia, Jordan European nations.

The Middle East faced a lot of changes in Holy See the first half of the decade, with extremist After the controversy, surrounding Pope organizations like ISIS disappearing almost Francis turning a blind eye to abuse within completely, or regimes like Bashar-al- the church, he was forced to abdicate. The assad’s crumbling down to form new and papal conclave, in an attempt to regain the free democracies. public trust; has named a new pope “Peter However, these nations have historically the Roman”, who has promised a total always been in the eye of the storm, facing reform of the church. Thousands of the toughest conflicts and crises in recent pilgrims have made their way to Vatican time, this time they carry the burden of City to ask for forgiveness, swearing their

Fantastic Crisis Committee 11 unwavering loyalty to the church, and God South Africa, and General Peter Elwelu above all. from the UPDF (Ugandan People’s defence The new pope and the vatican alongside force), they are currently leading the him has taken a radical stance towards the refugees, and have formally claimed their recent crises claiming its a divine authority above the survivors. Most punishment for human sin, he states: survivors have been armed with tools, and makeshift weapons in an attempt to “The time of retribution has come. For far increase survivability, they follow the too long, society has welcomed hedonism orders of General Elwelu, however, when it into its fold, ignoring our blatant flaws in comes to their true leader it appears that lieu of punishing those weak of mind. we they have flocked behind president have forgotten the most basic tenets of our Ramaphosa. church, and this has not gone unnoticed. What is this pandemic, but the clearest sign Guidelines for the Position of divine intervention? We were full of ourselves, and we were caught off guard. Paper

Payment for our sins is long overdue, denying this, is nothing but utmost heresy.” Due to the fictional nature of this -Pope Peter the Roman committee, we have provided a background for each delegations general position within the world of the crisis. Nonetheless, we However, there are some within the church encourage delegates to research the that oppose Pope Peter, stating, that this is technological and economic situation not punishment, but rather a challenge; an within your respective countries, in order opportunity for redemption, adversity that for your solutions and plans to be realistic, must unite all humanity to be able to which is something that we expect to see. overcome it. We do understand that for some delegations this might prove difficult, so please feel Remnants of Africa free to contact us and ask questions in order for you to have a better understanding of Though not many, the citizens of Africa the committee. have banded together under the banner of kinship, as they have travelled north Within the committee, each one of you will towards Egypt. The only surviving African be representatives of your respective leaders are Cyril Ramaphosa president of nations and organisations, with the

Fantastic Crisis Committee 12 exception of Pope Peter the Roman, 3. https://www.catholic.org/news/inter President Ramaphosa and General Elwelu; national/europe/story.php?id=50051 4. https://www.britannica.com/topic/c who will be present aboard the HMS onclave Salvation. Your position papers should 5. https://www.dpme.gov.za/about/Pag include three paragraphs, one, addressing es/President-Cyril-Ramaphosa.aspx 6. https://www.watchdoguganda.com/ the capabilities of your delegations; news/20190208/61213/profile-who- another, acknowledging possible allies is-lt-gen-peter-elwelu.html within the committee; and a final paragraph 7. https://www.historytoday.com/archi ve/black-death-greatest-catastrophe- with possible solutions that are relevant to ever your delegation. 8. https://www.who.int/ebola/en/ 9. https://ec.europa.eu/echo/refugee- The position papers should be written in crisis 10. https://www.who.int/emergencies/di Times New Roman, with a font size of 12. seases/en/ We expect them to be no longer than a 11. https://www.indexmundi.com/map/ page and a half, excluding bibliography if ?v=21&r=af&l=en 12. https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/0 needed. 2/1033281 13. https://www.worldvision.org/health- For NewMUN 2019, delegates are expected news-stories/2014-ebola-virus- outbreak-facts to submit their position papers to 14. https://www.bbc.com/news/world- [email protected] by the 7th of April us-canada-29453719 until 11:59 pm. Failure to do so, will make 15. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ebola _virus_disease_treatment_research the delegation ineligible for an award. 16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black Please remember to quote all sources used, _Death if you fail to comply, the dais will consider 17. https://www.bbc.com/news/uk- this plagiarism. politics-32810887 18. http://thecommonwealth.org/membe r-countries Bibliography 19. https://www.worldvision.org/refuge es-news-stories/syrian-refugee- 1. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/h crisis-facts ealthlibrary/conditions/nervous_syst 20. https://www.focus- em_disorders/prion_diseases_134,5 economics.com/blog/impact-of- 6 refugees-on-european-economies 2. https://www.cdc.gov/prions/index.h 21. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comm tml onwealth_of_Nations

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Simplified Delegation List

Finally, here’s the list of the delegations you will be negotiating during the extent of the conference, it’s important to know that the groups in which you are classified is not necessarily the bloc that will form in the committee, you should stick to your policies and form the bloc in which your delegation fits best. If you are unsure about your position feel free to write an email to emails above to clear it up.

Germany France European Union Sweden Spain

United Kingdom Commonwealth Canada Australia

United states of America Brazil American Nations Chile Mexico

Egypt Israel Lebanon Middle East Syria Saudi Arabia Jordan

Holy See Pope Peter the Roman

Cyril Ramaphosa (Leader of the remnants of Africa) African Survivors Peter Elwelu (Leader of Militias)