Planning a model city for refugees, private investors propose a bold solution to the migration crisis

At first glance, it sounds like a utopian dream. A Swiss entrepreneur envisions a new Hong Kong – built for refugees. Yet behind the scenes, negotiations to secure land at a confidential location are already well underway.

Albert Steck, February 3, 2025

Christian Kälin holds up a map, his finger landing on the spot where he envisions a model city for refugees. The site spans thousands of football fields. «Once the government gives us the green light, we’ll have cleared the biggest hurdle,» he says.

Securing investors, by contrast, is the lesser challenge – despite the project’s price tag of at least $700 million. In its initial phase, the city is designed to accommodate 20,000 people. The long-term ambition? A population of 1 million.

Not long ago, Kälin’s vision of a refugee haven – his attempt at building a new Hong Kong – seemed little more than a utopian fantasy. The NZZ first reported on the project in 2022, noting both the doubt and the potential. Now, at 53, the Swiss entrepreneur is on the verge of proving the skeptics wrong.

A direct line to the halls of power

Kälin’s progress is largely thanks to his extensive network. It is no coincidence that he is known as the «Passport King.» As the driving force behind Henley & Partners, he has turned the firm into the world’s largest broker of citizenships and residency permits – «golden visas.» By his own account, the company has ties to governments in one out of every three countries worldwide.

The second factor fueling Kälin’s project is the sharp escalation of the migration crisis, particularly in Europe. In just a decade, the number of displaced people worldwide has doubled to more than 100 million. Public frustration is mounting, giving anti-immigration parties a growing foothold across the globe.

But how can refugee policy break free from its current deadlock? Suddenly, Kälin’s proposal is gaining traction – including during the World Economic Forum in Davos. Speaking passionately at an exclusive roundtable, he touted the project’s progress. The location of the prospective city remains under wraps for now – only that it is outside the European Union. But negotiations, he insists, are well advanced. After the discussion, he was set to meet again with the head of government from the host country, working through a newly formed task force to push the plan forward.

As Kälin unveiled his vision, a lively debate broke out among the dozen or so attendees – mostly entrepreneurs, specialists, and potential investors. Egyptian billionaire Samih Sawiris, who built his fortune developing luxury resort towns, zeroed in on a key concern: connectivity. «The most important factor is global access,» he says. «An hour’s drive to the nearest airport is the absolute limit – anything beyond that will deter investors.» Kälin acknowledges that the closest international airport is about two hours away by car. However, he notes, there are plans to expand a nearby military airfield.

A new district built in Cairo

Sawiris knows a thing or two about building cities from scratch. He has developed massive tourism projects along the Red Sea in El Gouna and in the Swiss Alps in Andermatt. But his expertise extends beyond high-end resorts – outside Cairo, he developed Haram City, a district for low-income residents, which is now home to 50,000 people. He has not yielded any profit from this project, he insists.

Samih Sawiris praises the concept of an autonomous refugee city. «Governments spend billions on migration policies, but much of that money is poorly invested. Kälin’s model could offer a way to harness the skills and work ethic of refugees more productively.»

Kälin says that his city is not just a humanitarian initiative – it is also a business model. «Right now, we treat refugees as charity cases, offering them no real prospects. As a result, many end up in the informal economy or, worse, turn to crime.»

His plan is to ensure that residents can work legally, own property and pay taxes. For this to work, the settlement needs investors and clearly defined borders. «This will allow us to prevent uncontrolled movement.» In addition, all residents must apply for residency and sign a contract, explains Kälin: «By doing so, they agree to return to their home country if they violate the city’s rules.»

Kälin explains that aspects of his project are inspired by Canada’s immigration model, where skilled refugees with the right qualifications are selected for resettlement. «The idea is that immigrants should be able to build their own livelihoods through their own efforts,» he says. «That’s far more humane than reducing them to welfare recipients, many of whom aren’t even allowed to work.» He sees particular potential in the health care sector, where demand for workers could create new job opportunities.

Kälin is well aware that his approach runs counter to prevailing policies. But the numbers, he argues, are sobering: On average, a displaced person spends 17 years in a refugee camp. Even in the European Union, overcrowded shelters have prompted governments to outsource asylum processing. Italy, for instance, plans to spend €600 million on an offshore reception center in Albania – one designed to accommodate just 3,000 people.

More and more people will be on the move

«With record numbers of displaced people and mounting migration challenges, fresh thinking and unbiased solutions are urgently needed,» says Peter Maurer, former president of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He sees the concept of an autonomous refugee city not just as an ambitious vision but as a good road map – one that leaves no stone unturned.

Kishore Mahbubani, a former president of the U.N. Security Council, is also among the project’s backers. He points to the growing demographic gulf between the Global South and the North as a key argument in favor of Kälin’s plan. In 1950, Europe’s population was twice that of Africa. Since then, Africa’s population has doubled, and by the end of the century, Mahbubani projects, there will be 4.3 billion Africans compared to just 630 million Europeans.

The pressure for migration from Africa will only intensify, he warns. To counter this, he argues, refugee cities must be established across the African continent – and European companies should be encouraged to invest in them. «The logic is simple: if Europe doesn’t export jobs to Africa, Africa will export its people to Europe.»

Kälin confirms that he and his team are in discussions with governments across multiple continents. Beyond his flagship initiative, two additional locations are already in advanced planning stages. Smaller nations, he notes, tend to be more receptive due to their more agile decision-making structures.

He is well aware that his project may never come to fruition. But even if it doesn’t, he believes the effort is worthwhile if it shifts the debate toward a more pragmatic refugee policy. «One thing I can say with confidence,» Kälin insists, «is that despite the significant hurdles, our concept is the closest to being feasible among all the alternatives.»

See link to article: https://www.nzz.ch/english/entrepreneurs-eye-model-city-as-a-bold-solution-to-migration-crisis-ld.1868224

WHY WE NEED GLOBAL CITIES

A groundbreaking blueprint for tomorrow.

The refugee question is a topic that features prominently in the media, in private conversations, and in fiercely divisive political debates across the world. What we propose with free Global Cities, such as the Andan Global City, are autonomous, sub-national entities, where individuals and families who have been forced to flee their homes are welcomed into a safe environment where they can thrive, rather than merely survive — an innovative concept that is both humanitarian and profitable, that will create wealth and prosperity for citizens as well as for the nations hosting them.

Text: Dr. Christian H. Kaelin Illustration: Marcellus Hall

It is a sobering reality that there are over 32 million refugees and over 103 million forcibly displaced people according to the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) latest statistics. The figures have doubled over the past decade, and due to the climate crisis and outbreaks of war the number of forcibly displaced people is snowballing. More than 70% of refugees are fleeing conflict, with the majority from Syria, Venezuela, and Ukraine. Notably four of the top five host nations, Türkiye, Colombia, Germany, Pakistan, and Uganda, are developing countries.

GOING HOME IS NOT ALWAYS AN OPTION

The reality for many refugees is that they are likely to live in barely humane conditions in poorly managed camps for years, or at worst decades, facing the misery of poverty, disease, and crime. If they cannot be accommodated in a host nation, the next solution is repatriation. Unfortunately, for many, returning to their countries of origin is not a viable option, especially if they are fleeing famine, ongoing war, or an uninhabitable environment.

Countries such as Canada, New Zealand, and the USA have to some degree effectively managed the delicate process of integration, an alternative to repatriation. However, in today’s political climate, local integration is becoming the less favored solution as it stirs up heated deliberations by growing pockets of society that fear the effect that new migrants will have on their current socio-economic fabric. This closed-door policy and resistance to change is becoming evident even in countries that historically were founded on the backs of migrant workers.

Though not a widely implemented solution, resettlement, which is the transfer of refugees to a third country, which grants them permanent residence, is yet another option. It is not a popular choice and requires multi-lateral government collaboration, therefore to date its success has been rather limited. Looking ahead, as the refugee crisis continues to escalate, an innovative solution is crucial, which is why I advocate for global cities, where refugees are welcome.

REDEFINING REFUGEES

As celebrated Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini aptly said at the launch of the UNHCR’s #WithRefugees initiative, “refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with the same hopes and ambitions as us — except that a twist of fate has bound their lives to a global refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale.” Refugees exemplify bravery and resilience. They want to over- come the obstacles that caused them to leave

their homes and seek refuge abroad. Rather than being considered as a problem or a bur- den, refugees should instead be perceived as the skilled and talented individuals they are — an untapped resource, diligent, human ingenuity readily available to work, to pro- duce, to create.

A MODEL FOR THE FUTURE

As far back as the Middle Ages there were zones and somewhat autonomous global cities established in Europe and Asia, metropolises erected from the ground up that emerged from migration. The Andan Global City builds on that concept and will lead to even greater human development. It requires a public–private partnership that delivers a win–win situation, benefiting the host country as well as private investors who are willing to create a climate resilient and sustainable city that is home to forcibly displaced people, a city that respects our biodiversity while incorporating avant-garde technology. The quest to establish the first free Global City would serve as a blueprint for future Global Cities. Cities that have the business pace of Singapore, the modernity of Dubai, and the cosmopolitan flair of Lisbon — well-managed investments that in addition to delivering a second chance for refugees, lead to increased productivity, a growing GDP to the host country, returns to private stakeholders, and a home for anyone who chooses to invest in them.

Autonomous cities are the next big thing for SEZs

Special economic zones could soon encompass lifestyle and leisure as much as business

Andreas Baumgartner, May 19, 2023

In early May, representatives of special economic zones (SEZs) gathered in Dubai at the World Free Zone Organization’s Annual International Conference.

There was a strong focus on economic incentives, regulatory improvements, innovative services and trust — as one would expect at such a conference. After all, thousands of zones operating all over the world are trying to differentiate themselves from each other.

Yet economic incentives, an attractive regulatory environment and even outstanding services now appear to be prerequisites — basic requirements to enter the playing field. What does it take to really win the game? What will be the next generation of SEZs?

Let me offer a hypothesis. We will see SEZs transition from business zones to integrated work and life zones which encompass aspects far beyond their current focus. In short: they will be cities. Real, comprehensive, autonomous cities.

SEZs started as ports and gradually evolved into logistics hubs. Jebel Ali Free Zone in the UAE is a highly successful example. It also illustrates the subsequent evolution of SEZs into assembly and light manufacturing activities.

As of today, SEZs have become home to complex manufacturing, such as Morocco’s automotive and aeronautics zones. Many zones have moved beyond one industry, allowing integrated ecosystems to emerge (a concept referred to as clustered diversification).

It was only a matter of time before the concept was expanded to services, and in particular financial services. Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) was an early pioneer and has remained at the forefront of innovation. It’s done this by moving beyond being just an outstanding business location, adding residential components to the mix. High-end dining options offer far more than just business lunches. DIFC has attracted cultural offerings, galleries and music clubs. It has moved from being seemingly dead outside office hours to becoming a vibrant hub of social life. DIFC is as busy on a Saturday night as at any time during the working week. 

The next iteration

From there, the move toward fully integrated, autonomous cities is the next logical step. This is not just an idea or a hypothesis — it is already happening. A new concept is already emerging, taking SEZs to the next level. Multiple projects are competing and, at the same time, collaborating to achieve this vision. 

Many are based on the Charter City concept coined by Nobel Laureate Paul Romer and the ideas of Free Private Cities developed by German entrepreneur Titus Gebel. Technically, they resemble special administrative regions. Common to all of them is a desire for substantial internal autonomy, as well as a determination to create their own legislation, administration, security and dispute resolution protocols under the sovereignty of a host country. Residents’ rights and interests are secured by a charter or residency contracts with the city operator, with governance contracted to a private provider of such services. 

Private investors are picking up on the trend, making substantial financial pledges and writing big cheques. Established institutional investors are showing increasing interest. They are attracted by a business model of economic returns based on property value appreciation and the commercialisation of services. Communities of future residents are emerging online as well as in real life.

Farsighted government leaders see the opportunity for more than just billions of dollars' worth of immediate foreign direct investment. They see the importance of attracting young talent, such as creators, entrepreneurs and artists, who are seeking communities they are inspired by and choose to live in. These are the people who will shape and move the world of tomorrow. They are the ones creating economic and social opportunities.

Judging by the amount of excitement, and by the projects currently under early development, the time is right. Autonomous cities are the next big thing. They are the next generation of SEZs, and so much more.

Andreas Baumgartner is a co-founder of The Metis Institute and affiliated with the Economic Zones Development Alliance. He is a board member of TIPOLIS Pte Ltd and senior advisor to PRAXIS as well as involved in multiple other special economic zone/autonomous city and large-scale economic development projects.

See link to article: https://www.fdiintelligence.com/content/opinion/opinion-autonomous-cities-are-the-next-big-thing-for-sezs-82500

Concordia Live Webinar on Global Refugee Cities

Global Refugee Cities: When Going Home is Not an Option, a New Home is Needed

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HENLEY & PARTNERS, CONCORDIA GLOBAL PATRON MEMBER

JUNE 2, 2023 | DIGITAL

It’s crucial that refugees be recognized for the unique skills and talents they bring — an untapped resource, diligence, and human ingenuity readily available to work, to produce, and to create. In the recent Concordia webinar our panelists discussed the quest to establish the first free Global City for Refugees – a city that has the business pace and rule of law ethos of Singapore, and the modernity and space of Dubai — and well-managed investments that in addition to delivering a second chance for refugees, lead to increased productivity, a growing GDP to the host country, returns to private stakeholders, and domiciles for anyone who chooses to make them their new home.

Panelists:

• Dr. CHRISTIAN H. KAELIN, TEP, FIMC - Founder and Chairman, Andan Foundation;

• MICHAEL MØLLER - Member, Board of the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator Foundation; Senior Adviser, Macro Advisory Partners; Distinguished Fellow, Geneva Graduate Institute in Geneva; Member, Executive Board, Kofi Annan Foundation; Member, Board of One Young World;

• MIKAEL RIBBENVIK CASSAR - Former Director General of the Swedish Migration Agency (SMA); Member, Advisory Committee, Andan Foundation.

If you missed the latest Concordia Live session on the quest to establish the first Global Refugee City you can watch it here.

From Fermi to Migration Paradoxes

From Fermi to Migration Paradoxes

There have been many attempts to solve the Fermi paradox. But we should prioritize earthly matters rather than focusing on the cosmos, because we are now dealing with the terrestrial and very real migration paradox on our planet.

Text: Dr. Christian H. Kaelin Illustration: Marcellus Hall

Over the years, vast amounts of energy and money have been invested to find out if there is life beyond the human reality we know — so far without success. When we consider the billions of stars in the visible universe, this lack of result is fascinating. In 1950, the brilliant American-Italian physicist Enrico Fermi pondered the irrationality of the lack of evidence and asked, "Where is everybody?" This is the origin of what we now call the Fermi Paradox. If we know that the universe is expanding and that the Earth and the Milky Way are, figuratively speaking, mere specks of dust compared to the estimated total size of the universe, how can we justify the idea that the inhabitants of the Earth are the only intelligent beings in the cosmos? From a purely mathematical-statistical point of view, the probability is high that there are other intelligent beings in the universe. But if we are not the only ones, and there are other intelligent beings on a similar level as the humans on the planet Earth, why have we not yet been visited by extraterrestrials?

Worldwide mass migration

This is an interesting question. However, given the numerous problems brewing on Earth, we should rather consider how these resources can be better invested in solving pressing issues. There are several of these, but since I am primarily concerned with migration issues, I mention here as one example the impending worldwide mass migration. Unlike an imminent alien invasion, which I consider unlikely despite Fermi's interesting musings on the subject, the urgency of this problem is real. The World Bank predicts that more than 200 million people could be displaced by 2050 due to conflict and climate change, while the Institute for Economics and Peace indicates that up to 1.2 billion people could be displaced worldwide by then.

To tackle this major uprooting of people, society must ensure not only that strategies are being enacted that combat climate change and rising carbon emissions but also the understanding and capability of marginalized groups to adapt to this harsh new reality. This capability must extend as well to other inhabitants of the planet who may not expect to be displaced but could be, such as Europeans.

Current laws and protections for displaced people should be changed urgently to include those fleeing not only war but also climate change and economic hardship, among other factors. At the same time, we need more immigration in the high-net-worth domain to counter the issue of shrinking populations in wealthy and developed nations.

However, immigration policy is moving in a more restrictive direction almost worldwide, where recognized refugees are not granted all rights due under current rules, urgently needed skilled workers are only granted residence permits with difficulty, and investors and entrepreneurs who create wealth and jobs are unwanted as immigrants in certain political circles.

We are witnessing the emergence of a migration paradox. The mass migration of people due to increasing geopolitical volatility and global warming will significantly exacerbate the existing refugee crisis, which is largely caused by past and present conflicts and socioeconomic hardship in many states around the world. Rather than worrying about extraterrestrials, we need to consider what will happen when several hundred million people are on the run in the near future, and how we in the West can develop a well-coordinated immigration policy that will offset our negative demographic trends and provide positive stimuli to our economies.

Shift in power and influence

In addition to climate change, the causes of which can be discussed at length, increased political and military conflicts will lead to more migration. The war in Ukraine has lasted for over a year. There is no end in sight and the people of Ukraine are currently bearing the brunt of a geopolitical conflict that extends far beyond the borders of the two nations involved. China, Russia, and the USA, as well as other national powers, are engaged in a global tug-of-war in which cyberwarfare, economic sanctions, propaganda, and military assets are used to gain or retain earthly power and influence. This dynamic, too, will shift the balance of power globally and exacerbate the unprecedented migration of people in the coming decade.

What’s next?

In Carl Sagan's book, Pale Blue Dot: A Vison of the Human Future in Space, whose title was inspired by a photograph taken by NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft as it lifted off from Earth in 1990, he aptly wrote, "In our darkness, in all this vastness, there is no hint that help will come from elsewhere to save us from ourselves. Earth is the only world so far known to harbor life. There is, at least in the near future, no other place to which our species could migrate." I tend to agree. That is where we should focus all our energy — on Earth and all its real problems and not on space with all its unknowns, and the extraterrestrials that, while highly likely to exist, we have not been able to find to date, and they have not been able to find us either. Rather, we will have to deal with a new and real migration paradox, which may prove even more difficult to solve than that of Fermi.

Global Refugee Cities: When Going Home is Not an Option, a New Home Is Needed

Global Refugee Cities: When Going Home is Not an Option, a New Home Is Needed

Dr. Christian H. Kaelin, WORLD’S WEALTHIEST CITIES REPORT 2023 /GLOBAL INSIGHTS/

April 18, 2023

“In the first place, we don’t like to be called ‘refugees.’ We ourselves call each other ‘newcomers’ or ‘immigrants.’” Thus begins German-born American historian and political philosopher Hannah Arendt’s 1943 essay, ‘We Refugees’, which describes the anxiety and captures the despair of what it means to be a refugee. Arendt goes on to point out that, “a refugee used to be a person driven to seek refuge because of some act committed or some political opinion held. Well, it is true we have had to seek refuge; but we committed no acts and most of us never dreamt of having any radical opinion”.

The refugee question is a topic that features prominently in the media, in private conversations, and in fiercely divisive political debates across the world. What we propose with free Global Cities, such as the Andan Free Global City, are autonomous, sub-national entities, where individuals and families who have been forced to flee their homes are welcomed into a safe environment where they can thrive, rather than merely survive — an innovative concept that is both humanitarian and profitable, that will create wealth and prosperity for citizens as well as for the nations hosting them.

It is a sobering reality that there are over 130 million refugees and forcibly displaced people according to the UN Refugee Agency’s (UNHCR) latest statistics. The figures have doubled over the past decade, and due to the climate crisis and outbreaks of war the number of forcibly displaced people is snowballing. More than 70% of refugees are fleeing conflict, with the majority from Syria, Venezuela, and Ukraine.

An alternative to repatriation and resettlement

The reality for many refugees is that they live in barely humane conditions in poorly managed camps for years, or often decades. If they cannot be accommodated in a host nation, the next solution is repatriation. Unfortunately, for many, returning to their countries of origin is not a viable option, especially if they are fleeing famine, ongoing war, or an uninhabitable environment.

Countries such as Canada, New Zealand, and the USA have to some degree effectively managed the delicate process of integration. However, in today’s political climate, local integration is becoming the less favored solution as it stirs up heated debates by growing pockets of society that fear the effect that new migrants will have on their current socio-economic fabric. This closed-door policy and resistance to change is becoming evident even in countries that historically were founded on the backs of migrants.

Though not a widely implemented solution, resettlement, which is the transfer of refugees to a third country, which grants them permanent residence, is yet another option. It is not a popular choice and requires bilateral or multi-lateral government collaboration, therefore to date its success has been rather limited. Looking ahead, as the refugee crisis continues to escalate, an innovative solution is crucial, which is why the creation of global cities where refugees are welcome makes the most sense.

Redefining refugees

As celebrated Afghan-American novelist Khaled Hosseini aptly said at the launch of the UNHCR’s #WithRefugees initiative, “refugees are mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, children, with the same hopes and ambitions as us — except that a twist of fate has bound their lives to a global refugee crisis on an unprecedented scale.”

In a crucial excerpt from Arendt’s essay she writes, “We lost our home, which means the familiarity of daily life. We lost our occupation, which means the confidence that we are of some use in this world. We lost our language, which means the naturalness of reactions, the simplicity of gestures, the unaffected expression of feelings. We left our relatives in the Polish ghettos and our best friends have been killed in concentration camps, and that means the rupture of our private lives.”

Refugees exemplify bravery and resilience. They want to overcome the obstacles that caused them to leave their homes and seek refuge abroad. Rather than being considered as a problem or a burden, refugees should instead be perceived as the skilled and talented individuals they are — an untapped resource, diligent, human ingenuity readily available to work, to produce, to create.

A home for everyone

As far back as the Middle Ages there were autonomous global cities established in Europe and Asia. The Andan Free Global City builds on that concept and will lead to even greater human development. It requires a public–private partnership that delivers benefits to the host country and the migrants who move there, as well as to private investors who are willing to create a climate resilient and sustainable city that is home to highly motivated people, a city that respects our biodiversity while incorporating avant-garde technology.

The quest to establish the first free Global City would serve as a blueprint for future Global Cities. Cities that have the business pace and rule of law ethos of Singapore, the modernity and space of Dubai, and the cosmopolitan flair of London and New York — well-managed investments that in addition to delivering a second chance for refugees, lead to increased productivity, a growing GDP to the host country, returns to private stakeholders, and domiciles for anyone who chooses to make them their new home.

See link to article:

https://www.henleyglobal.com/publications/wealthiest-cities/global-insights/global-refugee-cities-when-going-home-not-option

Swiss entrepreneur plans model city for refugees

Swiss entrepreneur plans model city for refugees

A record number of people are fleeing their homes around the world. Entrepreneur Christian Kälin now wants to build a new Singapore for displaced people. He says this will let them rebuild their lives – while also making investors money.

Albert Steck, NZZ am Sonntag

September 21, 2022

A thriving city for refugees: What Christian Kälin is striving for seems utopian. But the entrepreneur wants to prove that the plan can succeed. He sees his «Andan Free Global City» not only as a humanitarian project, but also as a profitable business idea.

His model would turn the way refugees are treated completely upside down. Today, they are recipients of grants, and are perceived as a problem. They often live crammed in barracks or tents and without prospects for the future. In Kälin’s city, on the other hand, they would be motivated workers and founders of businesses who would build new lives for themselves – just like immigrants in the U.S. used to be.

«Initially, I was laughed at for the idea,» Kälin says. “People thought my project was hopeless.» Then, in a second phase, they looked for reasons that it would fail, he adds. Now, however, he is experiencing a new phase: «Governments and investors are approaching me and showing interest.»

Last week, for example, Kälin was scheduled to spend two days presenting his concept to a high-ranking government delegation. «Even the prime minister will talk to us,» he says. He adds that he is not allowed to reveal the name of the country; the discussions are confidential. He can say only this much: It is a neighbor of the EU. He is also in talks with representatives of the U.N. and the World Economic Forum.

Kälin attributes the increased interest in large part to the war in Ukraine. «Europe is experiencing a dramatic refugee crisis on its own continent. This shows people that we need new solutions,» he says.

Soon to be hundreds of millions

This year, the number of displaced people around the world will exceed 100 million for the first time. Until a few years ago, there were only half that many. The increase will continue, driven by climate change and political unrest in many regions. According to U.N. estimates, several hundred million refugees can be expected in the future.

Today, most of these people live in camps or slums. The largest such camp is in Bangladesh: Kutupalong has existed since 1991, and today accommodates over 600,000 people on an area the size of the city of Baden. Khalid Koser, a Maastricht University professor and member of the Andan Foundation board of trustees who has written numerous books on migration, says that people stranded in such camps stay there for an average of 17 years. «Today, our old models for dealing with refugees don’t work anymore,» Koser says.

The most obvious solution would be an early return home, Koser notes. But that is not possible with climate refugees. Moreover, many conflicts last for decades. The second option is resettlement in richer countries, but this cannot accommodate the current population of refugees – indeed, fewer than 100,000 people benefit from repatriation each year. The third solution, local integration, also has its limits, mainly because of political resistance.

The current practice of confining displaced people in camps is the worst of all options, the migration expert says. «It leads to enormous psychological damage and fuels violence and crime,» Koser says. He notes that minors make up a large proportion of this population, with around 2 million having been born during the course of their parents’ flight. «For me, the most compelling thing about Kälin’s approach is that he doesn’t see refugees as a cost factor, but recognizes them as an entrepreneurial opportunity.» That’s why it’s the right idea to bring private investors into play, Koser adds.

Migration has always been with us

Kälin even describes his concept as a basic principle of human development. «Many nations emerged through migration. The Helvetians also had this fate,» he says. The difference with regard to the past is that today’s system is based on national borders, he adds. In addition, development has shifted from the countryside to urban centers, he says.

This is why his model is based on modern city-states such as Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai. «Immigrants have always been successful entrepreneurs, because their biographies have shaped them into real artists of survival,» Kälin says. He believes that it is crucial that these people are provided with the right conditions to thrive.

Earlier in his life, Kälin studied law, specializing in constitutional and immigration law. In parallel, he became an entrepreneur, joining the London-based firm Henley & Partners. He built this firm into the world’s largest specialist in citizenship and residence planning, earning himself the nickname of the «Passport King.» The business of acquiring residence and citizenship via investment originated in Canada and the Caribbean. However, many European countries today also offer such «golden visas,» which bring billions of dollars of revenue to these states every year.

Kälin and his firm are active on both sides. He advises private individuals who want to acquire visas as well as the states that offer such programs. As a result, he has access to many high-profile government contacts who are now opening doors for him on the project. «The biggest challenge is finding a country that will provide an uninhabited or sparsely populated territory for an autonomous city,» he says.

Moreover, such a city will not be cheap to build. Kälin expects the first phase to involve investments of between CHF 500 million and CHF 700 million. Initially, several tens of thousands of people could live there – with the prospect that it might ultimately become a city of millions. Private financing is therefore crucial to the success of such a large project, says entrepreneur Titus Gebel. «Private investors, unlike the state, can consciously deploy risk capital.»

Gebel, who was born in Germany, is also the founder of the Free Cities Foundation, which works to establish special economic zones in various countries, following the example of Shenzhen in China or the European free cities in the Middle Ages. «The establishment of such a city offers fantastic business opportunities, starting with the construction of houses and ranging to the establishment of infrastructure, telecommunications and information technology.» Ultimately, the state would also benefit from the resulting economic boom, he adds.

A model city for refugees could also set new standards in sustainability, adds Kälin. «Only with innovative cities can we tackle the huge ecological problems. Moreover, the trend toward urbanization will continue to grow strongly in many countries.»

Despite the many arguments in favor of his vision, Kälin is aware that the city may never be built. But he is willing to take that risk. His commitment is already worthwhile if he can point out ways to a better and more humane refugee policy, he says. «My goal is draw on the recipes for success used by immigrant nations such as the United States, Australia, Canada, but also Switzerland.»

The Statue of Liberty in New York stands as a symbol for this, says Kälin. Erected as the «mother of all displaced people,» the statue’s inscription reads: «Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.» Kälin says he could imagine such a motto for his refugee city as well.

See link to article:

https://www.nzz.ch/english/swiss-entrepreneur-plans-model-city-for-refugees-ld.1703647

Forced to fight your own people: How Russia is weaponizing passports

Lily Hyde

Time

01 January 2023

KYIV — Imagine being Ukrainian and yet possessing only a Russian passport. And then being drafted into a war to fight your native country.

This is a reality currently facing thousands of Ukrainians. And some say it constitutes a war crime.

After Russia invaded Ukraine this past February, European countries welcomed Ukrainians seeking refuge. But when Russia announced its partial mobilization in September, thousands fled the draft. Countries that initially welcomed refugees hesitated or closed their borders to Russian citizens, sparking a debate in the EU about how — and if — countries should grant or withhold asylum for Russians fleeing mobilization.

But refugees from the draft don’t only come from Russia — many are from Russian-occupied territories. In swathes of Ukrainian territory it occupies, Russia has been issuing its own passports for nearly a decade while making it difficult to obtain or renew Ukrainian citizenship.

As the two nations fight a bloody war, Ukrainian citizens now find they may be drafted by Russia, Ukraine or both — yet be unable to prove they are actually citizens of either.

The mass naturalization of citizens in contested territories, known as passportization, is not merely an issue of who gets to fight in which army or cross which border. Turning Ukrainian citizens into Russian ones, willy-nilly and en masse, is a war crime, says Iryna Vereschuk, Ukrainian deputy prime minister and minister for reintegration of temporarily occupied territories.

“The Geneva conventions clearly ban forced passportization of inhabitants of occupied territories,” she told POLITICO. “It needs to be recorded as a war crime.” 

Coerced into becoming Russian

Ernes, a car salesman, left Crimea for Georgia to escape Russia’s partial mobilization in September, taking his wife and three children with him (their names have been changed to protect their identities). The family is Crimean Tatar — an indigenous minority ejected from Crimea under the USSR, but who returned to their homeland after the fall of the Iron Curtain in the 1990s. Crimean Tatars largely opposed Russia’s annexation and have been heavily repressed; like many ethnic minorities in Russian territories, the partial mobilization also targeted them disproportionately.

Ernes wasn’t the only one with the idea to flee: The border to Georgia from Russia was swamped. Ernes’ family camped for days by the roadside, and eventually paid a bribe to jump the 16-kilometer queue of waiting vehicles.

But when they finally reached the Georgian side, they met an administrative obstacle. Along with many European countries, the Georgian border service had started denying Russians entry. While Ernes, his wife and the older children had Ukrainian passports, the youngest — 3-year-old Emil — had only a Russian birth certificate. The family could come in, border authorities deemed, but only if they left their youngest child behind.

“They said, ‘leave him there.’ As if he were a suitcase,’” Ernes later told his mother-in-law.

The family, having already spent a large chunk of their savings to get this far, had to turn around and return to Crimea.

Ukrainian citizens were told to leave Russia-occupied territories at the beginning of the conflict | Wojtek Radwanski/AFP via Getty Images

Thousands of Ukrainians holding Russian or outdated Ukrainian documents ended up in similar situations. According to the Mejlis, the Crimean Tatar representative body now based in Kyiv, about 2,500 Crimean Tatars who fled to Kazakhstan — which allowed in anyone with Russian documents — have applied to the Ukrainian consulate there for Ukrainian documents so they can travel onward.

Forced passportization is a deliberate foreign policy practice being weaponized in Russia’s wars on its “near abroad,” say experts.

Initiated in territories in Georgia and Moldova in 2002 following armed conflicts, and then in Ukraine in 2014, Russia’s passportization policy has added several million new citizens to boost Russia’s declining population, while undermining the sovereignty of target countries and providing a spurious justification for Russian invasion and occupation.

After Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, it automatically transformed more than 2 million Crimeans into Russian citizens, providing just six weeks to reject the new passport. Even those who had already left Crimea, like Olha Skripnik — a human rights activist who now heads the Crimean Human Rights Group in Kyiv — found themselves Russian citizens against their will.

In 2016, Russia made it impossible for those without a Russian passport to get medical care, education or the health insurance mandatory for employment in Crimea. In 2020, Russia banned non-Russians from owning property in most of Crimea. When someone attempted to leave Crimea for mainland Ukraine, Russian border guards would demand a Russian passport and sometimes confiscate or damage Ukrainian ones, Skripnik told POLITICO.            

In eastern Ukraine, where Russia has controlled two quasi-republics in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions since 2014, Ukrainians were offered fast-track Russian passports from 2019. About half a million Ukrainians from the desperately impoverished, internationally unrecognized republics took the passports, which allowed them to work and study in neighboring Russia.

In the lead up to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the alleged “genocide of Russian citizens” in eastern Ukraine was repeatedly trotted out by the Kremlin as a justification for aggression.

In May 2022, passportization was introduced in newly occupied territories in southern Ukraine including Kherson and Mariupol. Although uptake has reportedly been minimal, Russia has applied pressure such as tying humanitarian aid, or keeping a job in the health or education sectors to having a Russian passport.

Since 2014, Ukrainian citizens in occupied areas have been able to renew or apply for Ukrainian documents if they travel to government-controlled territories. But that entails expensive, unpredictable journeys and long waiting times — Ukrainian birth certificates that are issued based on a Russian birth certificate from Crimea, for example, must be approved by a court.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, and travel restrictions made even these journeys near-impossible.

This means that after eight years, thousands of Ukrainians in occupied territories either have lapsed Ukrainian documents or none at all.

Escaping occupied territories

Shortly after the announcement of the partial mobilization, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Ukrainians to exit occupied territories to evade the Russian draft. But these Ukrainians then became stuck in no man’s land — allowed to exit Russia but not to enter the next country — or ran out of funds in countries like Kazakhstan while trying to get new Ukrainian documents.

In late September, Crimean Tatar representative body the Mejlis started getting hundreds of desperate calls from Crimean Tatars seeking to flee.

“We were trying to deal with this problem round the clock,” said Refat Chubarov, head of the Mejlis.

Having a Russian passport from Crimea is hugely problematic in Europe | Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Ukrainian consulates may issue temporary permission for citizens without current documents to enter Ukraine and apply for new ones. But a birth certificate is not sufficient proof of identity, and young people from Crimea often only have a Russian passport or other documents that Ukraine does not recognize.

“Now that the full-scale war has started, men who tried to leave, especially those aged around 18 to 20, have so many problems,” said Skripnik.

Russia has also deported thousands of Ukrainians from newly occupied territories to Crimea and Russia, often under the guise of saving them from active fighting — and then tied receiving aid and benefits in Russia to having a Russian passport.

It may be close to impossible for such people to prove they are actually Ukrainian.

Having a Russian passport from Crimea is hugely problematic in Europe, says Usein (not his real name), a 31-year-old Crimean Tatar who left Crimea in September to avoid being drafted. He traveled through and exited Russia with a Crimea-issued Russian passport, then managed to enter Europe via Latvia with an out-of-date Ukrainian passport. He said he saw others denied entry based on the reasoning that they were Russian draft-dodgers who had chosen to live in Russian-occupied Crimea.   

“It’s the biggest problem, because they just choose who to let in and who not,” he said. “Their argument is: ‘You have a Russian passport and citizenship. What were you doing in Crimea for eight years?’”

Usein headed to Poland, where he said that he was met mostly with sympathy and assistance. But one volunteer helping Ukrainian refugees told him he was a traitor because he had stayed in Crimea and not renewed his Ukrainian passport.

“I explained that I was just given Russian citizenship, and I left because of mobilization,” Usein said. “Crimea is my homeland. Why should I have left before? I didn’t want to leave now. All I want is to live in my homeland.”

Beside difficulties around documents, many refugees — fearing they could be fleeing one army for another — do not want to return to Ukraine during wartime at all.

“They escaped mobilization in Russia and wanted to find a safe place for themselves and their families,” Chubarov said. “If they came to Ukraine, they could be conscripted in the Ukrainian army.”

When Usein applied to the Ukrainian consulate in Warsaw, he was told to return to Ukraine for a new passport. 

“They told me directly ‘Go to Kyiv to do it, why did you come here?’,” he said. “But if I go there to get documents, I won’t be able to leave again.”

Martial law bans most men between 18 and 60 from leaving Ukraine.

Hostages or collaborators?

Usein, unable to find work in Poland, is now in Belgium waiting for the consulate to confirm his Ukrainian identity while staying in a hostel for migrants going through the asylum system.

Ernes, who was turned back at the Georgian border with Russia, had to return to Crimea with his family. Many of those who appealed to the Crimean Tatar agency the Mejlis for assistance have exhausted their options and funds, and have since returned home, said Chubarov.

“Eighty percent who got to Europe and ran into these problems with documents just turned round and went back,” Usein agreed. 

With rumors that Russia will announce a general mobilization in early 2023, those who had to turn back may end up in the Russian army after all, fighting their own people. 

Ukrainian nationals in Przemysl, Poland | Omar Marques/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Ukrainians are calling on Europe to turn Russians away, saying that fleeing the draft is not equivalent to opposing the war.

The EU suspended a simplified visa deal for Russian citizens in September. The Baltic states, Finland and Poland banned Russian tourists in October, calling for an EU-wide ban; while Slovakia and Czechia stopped issuing humanitarian visas to Russians in September.

But Crimeans who were left with no choice but to take Russian passports should be treated differently from Russians, believes Chubarov. “If they’re from Crimea, they’re not a threat,” he said.

Yet defining who is a threat, and punishing collaboration with Russia, remains a thorny topic. “Ukrainian special services need to share information with their European counterparts on who has committed state treason and worked on the side of the Russian Federation,” said Skripnik.

Ukraine’s parliament is considering a draft law on collaboration that criminalizes forcing or enabling someone else to get a Russian passport. But holding a Russian passport in and of itself, Vereschuk said, should not be grounds for prosecution, and those trying to avoid Russia’s mobilization deserve assistance.

“They are hostages, and don’t want to fight, so we don’t see them as criminals but as Ukrainians, who want to return.”

“We want to help these people,” Vereschuk concluded.

See link to article:

https://www.politico.eu/article/ukraine-citizenship-war-russia-weaponize-passport-passportization-mobilization-draft/

There's a Global War for Young Talent. The Winners Will Shape the Future

There's a Global War for Young Talent. The Winners Will Shape the Future

Parag Khanna

Time

24 October 2022

The United Nations recently announced that on November 15th, the world population will reach 8 billion people. At some point in the 2030s, it ought to cross 9 billion. But will it ever reach 10 billion? I have my doubts.

Demographers have progressively been bringing down their population forecasts from some 15 billion in the 1980s and 1990s to the current prevailing estimate of 11 billion by 2100. Previous predictions missed urbanization and female empowerment as trends that radically pulled down the fertility curve. Now, they underestimate economic insecurity and climate stress. Baby busts from the 2008 global financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic have also contributed to a staggering decline in fertility, the combined impact of which will be apparent in precisely 2026. Why? In America, suddenly ten percent fewer high school students will enter college because of the mini 2008 baby bust. Globally, in 2026 we will tally the number of Generation Alpha children and find that it will be smaller than today’s stock of Gen-Z. Young Gen-Xers and older millennials already embraced the trend of having only one child before COVID struck. Now, young millennials and older Gen-Z don’t seem inclined to have any at all. Our kids aren’t having kids. The hockey-stick curve is flipping over becoming a flat line with a cliff.

For most of our lives, the world population has been growing at breakneck speed. Indeed, it has quadrupled in one century, from two billion in 1920 to nearly 8 billion today. Though the pace has slowed today as the latest generation chooses fewer or zero children, the world of the 2020s is still more young than old: The combined size of Gen-Y millennials (born 1981-96), Gen-Z (born 1997-2012), and Gen-Alpha (2013-2025) still tallies more than 4.5 billion people—more than half the world’s population.

Not only are today’s youth the most populous demographic, but they are also the most mobile. Amidst climate change worries, economic anxiety, and political polarization, the last thing on young people’s minds seems to be settling down the way their parents did. On the contrary, with homeownership rates, fertility levels, and trust in government at record lows, today’s youth don’t seem pinned down by much of anything. Work has become remote, borders have reopened, and about one hundred countries now offer “nomad visas” or residency-by-investment programs seeking to attract talent and wealth from around the world. The number of takers is already in the tens of thousands and could easily reach six figures. Even Americans, who are far less likely to live abroad than their European counterparts, have become expats in record numbers, flocking to hip hubs such as Lisbon, Athens, and Berlin. Young Americans are making Europe great again.

As workers explore this newfound mobility, countries have begun competing to recruit them. Why? Because collecting people has always meant collecting power. If harnessed properly, a large population underpins martial might, industrial output, mass consumption, and talent-driven innovation. Today, youth recruitment takes on even more importance than ever before. As birth rates decline and the workforce ages, economic success will hinge on whether governments are able to recruit a share of the finite pool of mobile youth to their country.

The domestic economic stakes couldn’t be higher. Without an influx of new talent replacing the aging workforce, countries will be left with low economic output, elderly populations, and no youth to care for them. For all the world’s complexity, success and failure in the 21st century will boil down to capturing mobile youth as they vote with their feet. The winning societies of the future century will be those that stay young and populous while others—such as Russia or Italy—age and depopulate. Nationalist and populist politics only make matters worse. Witness how Russia’s latest conscription drive is pushing young Russians to flee in all directions from Turkey to Dubai to Kazakhstan. Italy’s new “pro-family” prime minister represents conservative ideals that are likely to push young Italians out of the country.

This is not a novel phenomenon. Although many Americans and Westerners today may feel like their countries are very hostile to immigration, this has not been the case historically. While human civilization has proven incapable of achieving collective goals like lasting geopolitical stability, economic equality, or protecting the environment, one global policy that has been achieved is mass migration. Western societies in particular have been very good at absorbing large numbers of immigrants and using that to their strategic advantage. Whether welcoming refugees from world wars, opening the gates during labor shortages, or enabling the chain migration of relatives, the 20th century alone witnessed hundreds of millions of permanent border crossings that both immediately and in a long-lasting fashion benefited the host country—with America the undisputed winner.

But winning the global war for young talent will not be as straightforward in the decades ahead. For one thing, the elderly whom the young are meant to care for aren’t necessarily pro-immigration, and populism is a turn-off to foreign talent. At the same time, competition is rising: Canada punches way above its weight in recruiting software engineers and other skilled migrants, often at America’s expense, and European nations are switching the language of instruction to English and issuing “blue cards” for IT workers and engineers. And then there’s climate change: nobody wants to move abroad and invest their life savings into a fire or flood zone. Countries that are either naturally more resilient to climate change or have invested in mitigation efforts will fare better in their recruitment efforts.

The result is a buyer’s and a seller’s market: smart countries can take their pick from the swarms of overeducated and under-employed youth, while young talent shuttle between co-working and co-living spaces in Mexico City, Dubai, and Bali. It’s also a zero-sum game: As the world population crests, one country’s gain becomes another country’s loss.

Most of the free agents in this global lottery will be Asian. Representing more than half the total global population, it’s not hyperbole to claim that the future of humanity will be defined by Asian youth. As the United Nations report points out, India is officially surpassing China as the most populous country next year, but more importantly, has a median age more than a decade younger. While China has the world’s largest diaspora today, and many Chinese rankled by authoritarianism seek to leave, the country has actually attracted millions of overseas Chinese to contribute to its mighty economy and take refuge from instability elsewhere. India, by contrast, could scarcely be pushing away its own people faster. From 2015-2020 alone, nearly 2 million Indians left the country, and departures have accelerated since. India is the fastest growing market for Henley & Partners, the Swiss-based firm noted for helping wealthy and middle-class people acquire foreign citizenship.

After eight years of declining migration that began during the Obama administration and cratered to 240,000 in 2021, America is predicted to add 800,000 plus new immigrants this year. Canada has been unwavering in its commitment to grow its population by one percent—about 400,000— every single year, making it pound for pound today’s most powerful immigration magnet. Whatever happens in U.S.-China relations, the bigger story is that the only way North America can continue to compete with Asia’s staggering demographic and economic heft is to attract its best and brightest to fuel our innovation.

At the same time, America needs to plan for a future where the elderly outnumber the youth—having millions of feeble elderly die alone is not the hallmark of a civilized society. We would do well to recruit legions of capable doctors, nurses, and physios to care for aging Americans or those with long Covid. Foreigners could also work as kindergarten teachers and nannies so that burnt-out youth might consider having children again— which would be one welcome sign of restored cultural confidence. America can’t achieve its planned industrial renaissance nor boost STEM education nor revive a sagging housing market without immigration. Legislation that would clear the H1-B visa backlog and give foreign entrepreneurs permanent residency deserves to be passed.

As COVID-19 fades and the Biden administration endorses billions of dollars of spending to create new jobs, modernize infrastructure, and adapt to climate change, the U.S. has a unique opportunity to achieve the equivalent of the 1960s combination of the Immigration Act and Federal Highway Act, which together generated trillions of dollars of economic value and raised the proportion of foreign-born Americans from 5 to 15 percent.

We should build it, because they will come. Climate scientists warn that as global temperatures rise, one billion people could be displaced from the optimal niche of latitudes for human habitation. North America and Europe—which are relatively better off under extreme climate change scenarios than South America, Africa, or South Asia—will be the destinations.

Caring for the elderly is a challenge that can be managed; making the world safe for future generations of youth is an existential priority we haven’t figured out yet. Making mobility a human right would be a strategically wise place to start.

See link to article:

https://time.com/6224186/global-war-for-young-talent/

Expanding Internet Access for Ugandan Refugees: An Exclusive Q&A with Hello World’s CEO

Expanding Internet Access for Ugandan Refugees: An Exclusive Q&A with Hello World’s CEO

by Eliana Fram

16 June 2022

Eliana Fram is an Officer for Economic Prosperity at MIT Solve

The digital divide is expanding due to expensive tariffs, the absence of devices, and lack of infrastructure, among others. These structural factors construct a paywall around the internet that is impossible to cross for many of the world's marginalized and underserved populations, denying them the opportunity to access education and information.

Hello World, a 2021 Digital Inclusion Solver, seeks to use the power of community and connectivity to tackle this global challenge. Katrin McMillan, founder and CEO, partners with underserved communities by training them to build Wi-Fi-enabled, solar-powered computer kiosks; Hello Hubs. These are loaded with state-of-the-art learning software and provide access to reliable and free 24/7 internet connection provided pro bono by Ugandan Internet Service Provider Roke Telkom to every Hello Hub in Uganda.

The Andan Foundation has funded three additional Hello Hubs for refugee communities in Uganda, one of the largest refugee-hosting nations in the world.

(Hello Hub at Karangura, in the Karabole district of Western Uganda)

As we are approaching World Refugee Day, can you tell me about how Hello World’s Hubs, and more generally, how the internet makes a difference for the refugee communities?

The build of a Hello Hub is a community effort, and sometimes segregated communities come together to build this complicated piece of engineering. The relationships established during that process are powerful and lasting. We leave behind engineering and community organizing skills critical for a successful lifespan of the Hello Hub and its usefulness. We also hire a Community Support Officer from every Hub community who is responsible for maintenance and for coordinating equal and fair access to the Hub.

(McMillan (center) looks at Hello Hub hardware, which is fitted inside the solar rack. Solar panels are fitted to the top of the structure and inside houses the technology that powers each Hub. The community learns how this works during the building process so that they can maintain and repair it when needed)

Many refugees have been forced to flee their homeland, so we have learners who have lost access to education at different stages and ages of learning. For them, unlimited free access to the internet means that they can pick up their education and their learning again. The Hubs are also important as a translation tool for tackling language barriers for refugees living in a new country. Hello Hubs also serve as a means to stay in touch with their family and they allow other social enterprises and organizations to hire refugees.

Millions of refugees spend years in refugee settlement camps and very often they are behind fences and they need permits to leave and reenter. Having the internet as a window to the world to help people travel beyond the confines of these environments, access the world’s body of knowledge, and virtually dissolve the walls of refugee settlements is a kind of freedom that is perhaps the most moving aspect of Hello World’s work. 

How has the last year been for Hello World? 

Hello World changed a lot in the last year. We've expanded our team in Uganda exponentially thanks to a funding partner, abrdn, who has funded 64 hubs, and we have launched a fellowship program to train and pay female engineers to join our team because too-few women were applying to work in our engineering teams.  

When I launched Hello World, people didn’t see the internet as a priority for marginalized communities and now it’s recognized as a fundamental human right. We were six or seven years ahead of the digital inclusion conversation. We work to decolonize international development with our community-led, respectful approach. We launched Hello World Labs to continue to lead innovations in our sector.

Taking into account the partnership developed with the Andan Foundation, what comes next for Hello World and what are you most looking forward to?

We met the Andan Foundation through MIT Solve and they gave us an initial unrestricted fund to support our work with refugees with a particular focus on refugee dignity. It’s lovely working with them because we have a shared philosophy around the purpose of the internet. Too often, people I meet think that the internet is a luxury or that it's not particularly relevant or valuable in communities where there is extreme poverty. I think they're wrong. It's critical for self-determination and to allow a community to, among other things, consume the news, share their stories, and raise their voices to advocate for their rights.

Something I've learned along the way that I hadn't anticipated when I first started Hello World was the need for people to stay in touch with their families. We all experienced that need through global lockdowns, but that's been the reality for many refugees and displaced peoples for generations. If you can't afford a smartphone or data, then you can't stay in touch with the family that you've been forced to leave behind, and I think that was of particular interest to the Andan Foundation.

The Andan Foundation is a funder that works in a collaborative partnership and not with the wonky mis-weighted power dynamics that are all too common between funders and NGOs. It's such a pleasure to work with them and MIT Solve is the reason that we met them. 

See link to article:

https://solve.mit.edu/articles/expanding-internet-access-for-ugandan-refugees-an-exclusive-q-a-with-hello-world-s-ceo

Model Cities for Refugees

Model Cities for Refugees

by Albert Steck

2 October 2021

Albert Steck is an economics editor at NZZ am Sonntag, Switzerland

The number of refugees worldwide has doubled in just ten years. Today, the UN has already registered more than 80 million people who have been forcibly displaced. A large proportion of these refugees live locked up in camps - and not just temporarily. On average, a resident spends 17 years of his life in such a camp.

Christian Kälin therefore demands that politicians fundamentally change the way they deal with refugees. "Today, they are primarily considered a cost factor - most of the time they are not even allowed to work," he criticizes. "Instead, we should promote the productive potential of these people, because they are often among the most motivated of all."

The Andan Foundation, which Kälin founded, is working on the project of a model city for refugees. He uses city-states such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai, which have achieved great prosperity in a self-governing manner, as historical models. "It is crucial that such a city is given a stable legal framework."

Kälin expects investments in the order of $700 million, with his sights set primarily on private investors. He will not name partners, but says the response so far has been very positive, especially in the technology sector. "This is a humanitarian project that also offers an interesting business plan."

Companies get the chance to build state-of-the-art infrastructure and implement novel systems of sustainability. Those who take the risk of investing can also benefit from rising land prices, he adds.

Kälin puts the number of residents at tens of thousands in an initial phase, but millions of people would settle in such cities over time. "The trend toward urbanization continues. Only with new cities can we meet the environmental challenges."

Among the project's supporters is Stephen Klimczuk-Massion. A strategy consultant at Kearney and formerly with the World Economic Forum, he has global connections. "Western countries need to think more creatively about the unresolved refugee and migrant crisis," he complains. And recalls that Europe also counted more than 10 million displaced people after World War II. "Countries like Canada, Australia or the U.S. owe much of their success to immigrants. We should be inspired by this model."

Kälin is in contact with several states to provide territory in sparsely populated areas. As soon as the project is secured by sufficient investors, it will be implemented. He emphasizes that there is no shortage of potential land areas, but possibly the willingness to get involved in a visionary idea.

See link to article:

https://nzzas.nzz.ch/wirtschaft/gekaufter-pass-passport-king-gibt-einblicke-in-sein-geschaeft-ld.1648512?reduced=true

https://www.nzz.ch/english/citizenship-by-investment-is-booming-but-is-it-fair-ld.1656800

Angelina Jolie: We Need to Understand the Human Cost of Burkina Faso’s Refugee Crisis

Angelina Jolie: We Need to Understand the Human Cost of Burkina Faso’s Refugee Crisis

by Angelina Jolie

July 8, 2021 10:48 AM EDT

Jolie, a TIME contributing editor, is an Academy Award–winning actor and Special Envoy of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees

Burkina Faso is gripped by a war we seldom hear about, even though Western nations had a hand in its creation. Until the NATO bombing campaign in Libya in 2011, the West African nation had enjoyed decades of peace and, though it faced challenges including endemic poverty, was considered a beacon of stability in the Sahel region.

After the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi’s government, militants and weapons flooded southwest across the Sahara and into Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso. By 2015, those guns had been turned by extremist groups upon villagers, cattle herders and children in rural Burkina Faso. More than 1.2 million Burkinabe people have fled their homes because of the intensifying violence. Camps for refugees from neighboring Mali have also been brutally attacked.

In the days before I arrived, militants attacked a village in the north of Burkina Faso and executed at least 138 people. Separately, a convoy of the U.N. Refugee Agency and partners came under fire traveling to a refugee camp I was due to visit. It was my first experience with the insecurity experienced daily by the Burkinabe people. Most of the families I met had moved several times, with nowhere truly safe for them.

A striking number of the outwardly calm men I met told me that they lived in a constant state of terror. Many of the displaced had seen male relatives murdered for refusing to join the armed groups.

I was visiting Burkina Faso with U.N. Refugee Agency, to mark June 20 — World Refugee Day — with displaced people. I’ve taken a trip like this nearly every year for the past two decades, but this journey felt different. I had to keep moving, spending only a short while in each location, because of the high risk from terrorist groups. I traveled by road from the capital Ouagadougou to Kaya, a city that is home to some 110,000 displaced people. The next day we flew — the road judged unsafe because of roadside bombs — to Dori, and then made the 10-minute drive to Goudoubo refugee camp in the remote, isolated and arid north of the country, close to the border with Mali.

It is a measure of their grace that not a single person I met in Burkina Faso called out the role Western intervention in Libya played in fueling the instability that plagues their country. In Goudoubo camp, I met 16-year-old Ag Mossa, a poet and refugee from Mali. He asked me if my children were in school, and when I said yes, he congratulated them. Schools are a prime target of militants in the Sahel, and millions of children across the region are missing out on their education as a result. Ag Mossa gave me one of his poems. “These little verses are a cry from the heart,” he wrote. “Oh for a roof for a small child from the Sahel, and help for him not to suffer fear.”

Humanitarian aid is no substitute for a livelihood, and the funding trickling into the country doesn’t come close to matching the scale of the suffering. The U.N. appeal for Burkina Faso is less than a quarter funded. This means that UNHCR and partners have only been able to provide shelter — a basic plastic tent with a wood frame — to 1 in 10 displaced people in the country.

As my visit progressed, a feeling of dread took hold of me. It felt like I was glimpsing the future. I’ve made more than 60 visits to refugees globally in the past 20 years. I’ve watched as political solutions to conflicts have dried up for an ever growing population of forcibly displaced people and their children — born displaced or stateless, passing their entire childhoods in limbo.

Wars no longer seem to end; they simply shift, just as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have shifted their operations from Afghanistan and the Middle East to the Sahel and Sub-Saharan Africa. Meanwhile, the number of forcibly displaced people has doubled globally in a decade, to more than 80 million people. Looking back on those lost decades, it is as if everything was leading us to the kind of conflict now seen in Burkina Faso, combining the reality of a protracted war, fueled by terrorism.

These threats are made worse by the devastating effects of man-made climate change. African nations have generated only a tiny fraction of the emissions heating our planet. Yet in Burkina Faso, arable land and their natural water supplies are drying up at a terrifying rate, making it next to impossible for families that have farmed the earth for generations to feed their children. One Malian refugee, who had fled to Burkina Faso with his family and their livestock, described how their cows died one by one from the lack of grazing and water.

We had decades to try to prevent conflicts from breaking out or to find peace agreements to enable refugees to return to their home countries. We now face the prospect that climate-change effects will mean there is no home for displaced people to return to.

Governments in wealthy industrialized nations act as if refugees can be treated as someone else’s problem if they simply fortify their borders or pay developing nations to continue to host millions of displaced people. They make shiny new humanitarian announcements to distract voters, and themselves, from decades of unkept promises. The hypocrisy makes it harder to hold to account governments that commit mass atrocities against their own people, causing them to flee.

At which point will we be concerned enough to recognize that the model is broken as well as immoral? When 100 million people are displaced? Or 200 million, which we could reach within the next 20 years?

As citizens, we need to shift our thinking. We’re learning to understand the human cost of the minerals mined in conflict zones to meet our demand for smartphones and the environmental cost of manufacturing our clothes. Our foreign policies — the promises we break, the allies we indulge, the exceptions we make, and the atrocities we overlook — also carry a vast human cost. That price is being paid by millions of children like Ag Mossa.

See link to article:

https://time.com/6078343/angelina-jolie-burkina-faso-refugee-crisis/

Global Mobility Is 'The Starkest It Has Been' As Countries Tighten Their Borders

Global Mobility Is 'The Starkest It Has Been' As Countries Tighten Their Borders

by Ollie A Williams

January 7, 2020, 07.45 AM EST

The global mobility gap between people of different citizenships has become wider than almost any point in history as more countries start restricting visa-free travel.

Japan has the best passport for international travel, allowing its holders to access 191 destinations visa-free, according to the Henley Passport Index, an annual ranking released on Tuesday by citizenship advisory firm Henley and Partners.

Conversely, the worst passport is Afghanistan, which only allows its citizens to enter 26 countries without a visa.

"Analysis of historical data from the index reveals that this extraordinary global mobility gap is the starkest it has been since the index's inception in 2006", says Dominic Volek, managing partner and head of Southeast Asia at Henley and Partners.

"There is a growing divide when it comes to travel freedom—a difficult truth that sits alongside the fact that globalisation has made us more mobile and connected than ever before," adds Volek.

Another difficult truth is the fact that countries with the highest migration figures are being denied access to an increasing number of countries. Afghanistan has sat at the bottom of Henley's ranking for a decade, but, together with Syria and South Sudan, accounts for 60% of the world's refugees.

Nigeria is another country with an increasing number of refugees fleeing the country, according to the UNHCR. Its passport has dropped 19 places in this year's Henley Passport Index, more than any other country.

The whole notion of citizenship has been further politicised since India (54th on the Henley Passport Index) passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which makes it easier for non-Muslims in neighbouring Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to gain Indian citizenship. Protesters have taken to Indian cities, arguing that the law discriminates against minority Muslims.

Mobility Is Money

The “haves” and “have-nots” of global mobility is a divide also exemplified by wealth. Those with deep pockets are able to “buy” other citizenships, normally through a property purchase or investment in the country's economy. These range from the $16,000 Thailand Elite Residence Program to the U.K.'s £2 million ($2.6 million) Tier 1 Investor Visa.

The price difference of citizenships often varies according to how many countries you can enter visa-free (though the U.K. has fallen in Henley's rankings from first place in 2015 to 8th place this year). Economy and quality of life also play a part.

This leave the “have-nots” at even more of a disadvantage. In much the same way that the poverty trap works to keep people poor, citizenship has the same effect on global mobility: Those without the means to move now have even fewer options to do so.

But as the refugee crises exacerbates around the world (there are more refugees today than at any point since the UN started tracking figures 70 years ago) more needs to be done to reverse this global mobility gap. Philip Reuchlin, program director at the Andan Foundation, a Swiss refugee foundation, says countries should start looking at refugees in a different light: "Globally, treating refugees as ‘burdens’ or ‘objects of care’ is slowly giving way to an understanding that refugees have an extraordinary wealth of talent and a desire to rebuild their lives."

See link to article:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwilliams1/2020/01/07/global-mobility-is-the-starkest-it-has-been-as-countries-tighten-their-borders

The Diaspora Goldmine

The Diaspora Goldmine

Ricardo Hausmann

June 25, 2015

The relationship between diasporas and their homelands often encompasses a broad palette of sentiments, including distrust, resentment, envy, and enmity. But, since the rise of the first cities, migrants have been an invaluable asset not only to their new country, but also to their country of origin.

CAMBRIDGE – Many countries have substantial diasporas, but not many are proud of it. After all, people tend not to leave a country when it is doing well, so the diaspora is often a reminder of a country’s darker moments.

El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Cuba, to cite three examples, had more than 10% of their native population living abroad in 2010. And this figure does not take into account their descendants. The bulk of this migration happened at a time of civil war or revolution. In other places, massive outmigration occurred in the context of political change, as in Europe when communism collapsed.

The relationship between diasporas and their homelands often encompasses a broad palette of sentiments, including distrust, resentment, envy, and enmity. Colloquially, people describe a bout of emigration as a period in which a country “lost” a certain proportion of its population.

But people who leave a country have not disappeared. They are alive and socially active. As a result, they may become an invaluable asset not only to their country of destination but also, and importantly, to their country of origin.

One important connection is remittances, which add up to some $500 billion a year worldwide. The largest recipients are India, Mexico, and the Philippines. For countries such as Armenia, El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Lesotho, Moldova, Nepal, and Tajikistan, expatriates remit the equivalent of more than one-sixth of national income – an amount that often exceeds exports. And this money can do a lot of good, as the World Bank’s Dilip Ratha has highlighted.

But a diaspora’s potential economic importance goes well beyond remittances. As the late historian Philip Curtin documented, from the beginning of urban life, millennia ago, trade typically involved networks of co-ethnic merchants living among aliens. Greeks, Phoenicians, trans-Saharan traders, the Hanseatic League, Jews, Armenians, overseas Chinese, and the Dutch and British East India Companies organized much of world trade through such networks. Although these alien traders were sometimes politically powerful in the host countries, they were often weak and faced discrimination.

The economist Avner Greif argues that these co-ethnic networks’ durability and resilience throughout history reflects their ability to enforce contracts at long distances when the existing institutional framework could not do so reliably. They could establish trust between exporters and importers because they could punish opportunistic behaviors. For a tight-knit community, reputational costs and other forms of social punishment transcend geography: not paying for goods might mean not being able to marry your children well.

Legal institutions have since evolved to facilitate impersonal trade. Exporters and importers no longer need to know one another, because they can write a contract that a court will enforce.

And yet the impact of co-ethnic networks may well be as important as ever. As Hillel Rapoport of the Paris School of Economics and his co-authors have shown, controlling for other determinants of trade, countries trade more with, and invest more in, the diasporas’ home countries. In recent work with Dany Bahar, Rapoport has also shown that countries become good at making the products that their migrants’ home countries are good at making.

I interpret these results as the consequence of tacit knowledge or knowhow. To do things, you need to know how, and this knowhow is mostly unconscious. After all, most of us know how to ride a bicycle, but we are not really aware of what our brain does to achieve that feat, or how it develops that ability through practice.

This knowhow moves geographically in the brains of those who possess it and is transferred to others at work. That is why ethnic cuisines diffuse through diasporas, not cookbooks. And it may be why economies with more diverse sets of migrants perform better. Also, return migration is often an important source of new skills for a country. In ongoing work, Ljubica Nedelkoska of Harvard’s Center for International Development has found that the wages of Albanians who never left tend to increase when migrants return home.

Evidence of the importance of diasporas is everywhere, if you care to look. Franschhoek (French corner in Afrikaans) is a beautiful valley near Cape Town settled by Huguenots in the late seventeenth century. That is why, to this day, wines are made there.

Likewise, Joinville is a southern Brazilian city settled in the late nineteenth century by relatively uneducated Germans. Because of the cultural links they and their descendants have maintained with the mother country for more than 120 years, the city excels at advanced manufacturing of products that had not been invented when the migrants came. Morocco is full of French-language call centers that get their contracts through a cousin in Paris.

East Asian industrialization exploited the links created by the network of overseas Chinese. India’s high-tech industries were to a large extent created by returning migrants and are deeply connected to the diaspora. Israel is an entire country created by its diaspora, and its thriving high-tech sector, too, has benefited from sustained ties. By contrast, many Latin American countries have substantial diasporas abroad, but few equivalent success stories.

A country’s diaspora, and the diasporas it hosts, can be a huge asset for its development. Diasporas are not gusanos or worms, as Fidel Castro refers to Cubans abroad. They are a channel through which not only money, but also much tacit knowledge, can flow, and they are a potential source of opportunities for trade, investment, innovation, and professional networks.

But a diaspora can work its economic magic only if the host country tolerates it and the home country appreciates it. Governments should have a diaspora strategy that builds on natural feelings of identity and affection to cultivate this social network as a powerful source of economic progress.

See link to article:

https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/remittances-not-only-benefit-to-homeland-economies-by-ricardo-hausmann-2015-06