The 21-Year-Old Who Built His Own Country Just Got An Award At The UN

Daniel Jackson, the 21-year-old from the UK who founded his own country, recently received an award from the United Nations, the New York Post reported. He was honoured by the Institute of Public Policy and Diplomacy Research during a gala event in New York, with officials from his self-proclaimed micro-nation, the Free Republic of Verdis, joining him for the ceremony.

"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," he said, as quoted by the media outlet. 

"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."

How Verdis was born

The story of Verdis started several years ago on a small pocket of land near the Danube River, between Croatia and Serbia. The roughly 0.5-square-kilometre plot of land was previously unclaimed by either neighbouring country.

Jackson and a group of friends seized the moment and decided to plant a flag and claim the territory. He named it the Free Republic of Verdis and declared himself its president.

However, it was not easy for them. Over the years, Jackson and his supporters set up a government framework, drafted a constitution, and began building an online community. 

Today, the self-declared nation has hundreds of registered citizens and receives countless inquiries from people around the world. 

Recognition at the global stage

While Verdis is not officially recognised as a sovereign state by the UN or world governments, Jackson has worked hard to build international visibility.

The recent UN-adjacent award was given in recognition of humanitarian efforts linked to Verdis, including aid work directed toward the Ivory Coast. 

According to the report, government ministers representing Verdis also participated in the UN General Assembly Youth Mobilisation Segment, pushing to establish diplomatic ties with global organisations.

For Jackson, the recognition would be a huge deal as they face several challenges and the attempts to live in the Free Republic of Verdis have been unsuccessful. In 2023, Croatian police even detained and deported several settlers, including Jackson. He was also given a lifetime ban from entering Croatia.

Jackson revealed that the Croatian authorities have also "installed cameras along the Verdisian coastline" to stop them from accessing it from Serbia, making them a "government in exile".