A 21-year-old British man who proclaimed himself president of a new country in the Balkans has received an award for humanitarian work at a United Nations gala.
Daniel Jackson first imagined creating his own nation with a group of friends when he was just 14.
The group discovered that a border dispute had left several areas along the Danube River unclaimed by both Croatia and Serbia.
On May 30, 2019, Jackson claimed one of those areas—identified on maps as Pocket-3—and declared it the Free Republic of Verdis.
Since naming himself president, the Dover, Kent, resident has worked to build the fledgling state. His latest recognition came at a United Nations gala in New York, where he was honoured for Verdis’ humanitarian efforts.
Held in the UN Delegates Dining Hall at the organisation’s headquarters, the event recognised aid provided by Verdis in Ivory Coast.
The award was presented by the Institute of Public Policy and Diplomacy Research, and Jackson delivered a speech after accepting it.
“It definitely was intense. It was a very interesting experience. There were quite a lot of high-end people there. It was very nerve-wracking,” said the self-declared president.
“Being only 21 years old, I am still sort of getting used to this experience of turning up to these events with such interesting and influential people.”
Verdis was later invited to take part in the United Nations General Assembly Youth Mobilization Segment on October 9.
Jeffrey Li, Verdis’ Humanitarian Affairs Minister, represented the project and addressed the room about its previous work and future ambitions.
Jackson said: “Every time we go to New York we always get a decent amount of dialogue and connections.
“Having the opportunity to have my colleague speak directly at the UNGA youth forum was amazing.
“It allowed him to open up more connections for Verdis, particularly around youth involvement, aid, and things like that.”
Verdis covers approximately 125 acres, a size that would make it the world’s second-smallest country, behind only Vatican City.
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The territory can be reached only by boat from Osijek. Efforts to establish a settlement there have so far failed, and Jackson is now barred from entering Croatia.
Jackson claims Croatian authorities have also “installed cameras along the Verdisian coastline” to prevent access from Serbia, leaving Verdis operating as a “government in exile.”
Despite the blockade, the project has made progress with Serbian officials, and Jackson has been accepted for citizenship.
He said: “We are still thriving. We are making a lot of progress, but we are still blockaded.
“We are carrying out Verdis’ values even while we continue to operate in exile.”
“Croatia are still quite tough on us. They have really cracked down regarding Verdis government officials being able to enter Verdis. They are very much watching us.
“We are really hoping that the blockade could be lifted soon. We are still working towards it.”
Daniel, who identifies as both British and Australian, has created passports, a flag, merchandise, a full cabinet, laws, and even a coat of arms.
They have also opened two embassies, one in Dover and one in Novi Sad, Serbia.
The official languages of Verdis, which has 400 official citizens, are English, Croatian, and Serbian with their currency being the Euro.
Since he started the country, it has gained a huge following on social media, with over 1,000 emails every month from people asking to become citizens.
But, they need to stay restrictive on who they can accept due to the small amount of land.
Daniel, who had to give up his day job designing Roblox worlds to take on Verdis full time, said: “Verdis was an idea I had when I was 14, it was just a bit of an experiment at first with a few mates.
“To the naked eye it is just a lot of forest, but when you realise that you are in a country you have created it is magical.
“I am very amazed by it but I am not surprised by how well it is pushing because there is an amazing team behind us and the support has not stopped.”
