Refugee Nation

Refugee Nation is a 2015 proposal to create a new nation to voluntarily resettle the world's refugee population. According to United Nations estimates, there are about 60 million refugees and internally displaced people in the world.[1]

Proposal

Refugee Nation was launched in June 2015 by and received extensive media coverage in July 2015, beginning with an article in The Washington Post.[2]

In his proposal, Buzi offers a number of alternatives for creating a nation of refugees.[3] These include:

1. Buying uninhabited islands from a country such as the Philippines or Indonesia

2. A country with a lot of habitable but unused land giving away or selling this land for the purpose of establishing a refugee nation. One example given is Finland

3. A small island nation which is sparsely populated agreeing to become a refugee nation. Current citizens would receive significant financial benefits.

4. New islands to be created in international waters as a homeland for refugees.

Funding

Funding for Refugee Nation is proposed to be by governments, NGOs, the United Nations or private billionaires. Jason Buzi, a successful Bay Area real estate investor, had previously earned positive press as the benefactor behind 2014's Hidden Cash multi-city project.[4] With Refugee Nation, Buzi has drafted the initial proposal, established an online presence (www.refugeenation.org), and gained exposure for his plan through a PR agency.[5]

In October 2015, Refugee Nation launched a crowdfunding campaign[6] with the aim of raising billions of dollars to buy land or islands as a permanent home for the world's refugees.[7]

Other related proposals

Less than two months after the proposal received wide media coverage, Naguib Sawiris, an Egyptian billionaire, offered to buy a Mediterranean island to house refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict.[8]

References

  1. ↑ Sengupta, Somini. "60 Million People Fleeing Chaotic Lands, U.N. Says". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  2. ↑ Taylor, Adam. "A Silicon Valley mogul wants to solve the global refugee crisis by creating a new country". WashingtonPost.com. The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  3. ↑ Ridley, Louise. "Millionaire Jason Buzi Wants To Create A New Country To House All The World's Refugees". http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/. The Huffington Post UK. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  4. ↑ Ensor, Josie. "Secret millionaire behind HiddenCash treasure hunt announces London giveaways next". telegraph.co.uk. Telegraph Media Group Limited. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Chung, Frank. "Real estate mogul's 'radical solution' to the global refugee crisis". news.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  6. ↑ Buzi, Jason. "Crowdfund a New Country for Refugees!". indiegogo.com. Indiegogo, Inc. Retrieved 23 October 2015.
  7. ↑ Lam, Bourree. "The Man Who Wants to Crowdfund a New Nation for Refugees". The Atlantic. Hayley Romer. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  8. ↑ Mosbergen, Dominique. "Egyptian Billionaire Offers To Buy Island To Shelter Refugees In Europe". The Huffington Post. The Huffington Post and Berggruen Institute. Retrieved 21 October 2015.

External links

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