By AFP
February 25, 2025
Nauru was once one of the wealthiest places on the planet but lucrative supplies of phosphate deposits have long dried up
- Copyright AFP TORSTEN BLACKWOOD
Laura CHUNG
Pacific microstate Nauru is selling citizenship to fund its retreat from rising seas, President David Adeang told AFP, opening a contentious “golden passport” scheme as other climate financing runs dry.
The low-lying island nation of around 13,000 residents is planning a mass inland relocation as creeping seas start to eat away at its fertile coastal fringe.
It will drum up funding by selling passports to foreigners for US$105,000 each, despite fears such schemes are ripe for criminal exploitation.
“For Nauru it is not just about adapting to climate change, but about securing a sustainable and prosperous future for generations to come,” Adeang said.
“This is about more than survival. It is about ensuring future generations have a safe, resilient and sustainable home. We are ready for the journey ahead.”
The island republic sits on a small plateau of phosphate rock in the sparsely populated South Pacific.
With a total landmass of just 21 square kilometres (eight square miles), it is one of the world’s smallest nations.
Unusually pure phosphate deposits — a key ingredient in fertiliser — once made Nauru one of the wealthiest places, per capita, on the planet.
But these supplies have long dried up, and researchers today estimate 80 percent of Nauru has been rendered uninhabitable by mining.
What little land Nauru has left is threatened by encroaching tides — scientists have measured sea levels rising 1.5 times faster than global averages.
– Golden passports –
Existing climate funding efforts are “not sufficient” to address the challenge, said Edward Clark, who runs Nauru’s new Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program.
“Debt financing places an undue burden on future generations and there is not enough aid,” he told AFP.
Nauru’s government expects to reap US$5.7 million in the programme’s first year, equating to around 66 successful applications, Clark said.
It hopes this will gradually increase to US$43 million -– or about 500 successful applications — which would account for almost 20 percent of total government revenue.
Nauru officials believe 90 percent of the population will eventually need to move to higher ground.
The first phase of this mass relocation is estimated to cost more than US$60 million.
To pay the bill, Nauru has pinned its hopes on the new citizenship-by-investment programme.
Clark said it was a kind of “innovation”.
“It is well known that developing climate-vulnerable countries are disproportionately impacted by climate change, and there is therefore an urgent need to ensure they disproportionately benefit from climate innovation,” he said.
Nations such as Nauru “have both a need and a right to be prosperous”, Clark added.
Nauru claims its passport will provide visa-free entry into 89 countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong.
– A ‘pioneering’ fix? –
More than 60 different nations offer some form of migration for investment schemes, Australia’s Lowy Institute has found.
Pacific nations such as Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga have all dabbled in selling passports, according to the think tank.
Australian National University expert Henrietta McNeill said while these schemes helped bolster government revenue, they were also prone to exploitation.
She said criminals could use these documents to evade law enforcement, launder money or exploit visa-free entry rules.
A previous Nauru attempt to sell passports ended in disaster.
In 2003, Nauru officials sold citizenship to Al-Qaeda members who were later arrested in Asia, according to Australian broadcaster ABC.
Clark said this time Nauru would only offer passports to like-minded investors that passed “the strictest and most thorough due diligence procedures”.
“This programme isn’t just about acquiring another passport,” he said.
“It’s about joining a community dedicated to pioneering solutions for global challenges.”
Nauru has accepted millions of dollars from the Australian government since 2012 for housing migrants who had sought asylum in Australia.
But the scheme was gradually scaled back following 14 detainee deaths, multiple suicide attempts and at least six referrals to the International Criminal Court.
Nauru still held 87 people as of August 31, 2024, according to latest Australian government figures.
Laura CHUNG
Pacific microstate Nauru is selling citizenship to fund its retreat from rising seas, President David Adeang told AFP, opening a contentious “golden passport” scheme as other climate financing runs dry.
The low-lying island nation of around 13,000 residents is planning a mass inland relocation as creeping seas start to eat away at its fertile coastal fringe.
It will drum up funding by selling passports to foreigners for US$105,000 each, despite fears such schemes are ripe for criminal exploitation.
“For Nauru it is not just about adapting to climate change, but about securing a sustainable and prosperous future for generations to come,” Adeang said.
“This is about more than survival. It is about ensuring future generations have a safe, resilient and sustainable home. We are ready for the journey ahead.”
The island republic sits on a small plateau of phosphate rock in the sparsely populated South Pacific.
With a total landmass of just 21 square kilometres (eight square miles), it is one of the world’s smallest nations.
Unusually pure phosphate deposits — a key ingredient in fertiliser — once made Nauru one of the wealthiest places, per capita, on the planet.
But these supplies have long dried up, and researchers today estimate 80 percent of Nauru has been rendered uninhabitable by mining.
What little land Nauru has left is threatened by encroaching tides — scientists have measured sea levels rising 1.5 times faster than global averages.
– Golden passports –
Existing climate funding efforts are “not sufficient” to address the challenge, said Edward Clark, who runs Nauru’s new Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program.
“Debt financing places an undue burden on future generations and there is not enough aid,” he told AFP.
Nauru’s government expects to reap US$5.7 million in the programme’s first year, equating to around 66 successful applications, Clark said.
It hopes this will gradually increase to US$43 million -– or about 500 successful applications — which would account for almost 20 percent of total government revenue.
Nauru officials believe 90 percent of the population will eventually need to move to higher ground.
The first phase of this mass relocation is estimated to cost more than US$60 million.
To pay the bill, Nauru has pinned its hopes on the new citizenship-by-investment programme.
Clark said it was a kind of “innovation”.
“It is well known that developing climate-vulnerable countries are disproportionately impacted by climate change, and there is therefore an urgent need to ensure they disproportionately benefit from climate innovation,” he said.
Nations such as Nauru “have both a need and a right to be prosperous”, Clark added.
Nauru claims its passport will provide visa-free entry into 89 countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, United Arab Emirates and Hong Kong.
– A ‘pioneering’ fix? –
More than 60 different nations offer some form of migration for investment schemes, Australia’s Lowy Institute has found.
Pacific nations such as Vanuatu, Samoa and Tonga have all dabbled in selling passports, according to the think tank.
Australian National University expert Henrietta McNeill said while these schemes helped bolster government revenue, they were also prone to exploitation.
She said criminals could use these documents to evade law enforcement, launder money or exploit visa-free entry rules.
A previous Nauru attempt to sell passports ended in disaster.
In 2003, Nauru officials sold citizenship to Al-Qaeda members who were later arrested in Asia, according to Australian broadcaster ABC.
Clark said this time Nauru would only offer passports to like-minded investors that passed “the strictest and most thorough due diligence procedures”.
“This programme isn’t just about acquiring another passport,” he said.
“It’s about joining a community dedicated to pioneering solutions for global challenges.”
Nauru has accepted millions of dollars from the Australian government since 2012 for housing migrants who had sought asylum in Australia.
But the scheme was gradually scaled back following 14 detainee deaths, multiple suicide attempts and at least six referrals to the International Criminal Court.
Nauru still held 87 people as of August 31, 2024, according to latest Australian government figures.
Trump proposes $5 million 'gold card' for wealthy investors, including Russians
By Andrew Naughtie with AP
Published on 26/02/2025 -
The US's existing investor visa has already been flagged domestically as a fraud risk, but the new proposal did not come with any details of enhanced vetting for applicants.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he plans to offer a "gold card" granting wealthy applicants a path to citizenship at a price of $5 million (€4.76 million), replacing an investor visa that has existed for 35 years.
Describing the people he wanted to see apply, Trump told an Oval Office press conference: "They'll be wealthy and they'll be successful, and they'll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it's going to be extremely successful."
Asked whether Russian oligarchs would be eligible for the gold card, Trump responded: “Yeah, possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.”
By Andrew Naughtie with AP
Published on 26/02/2025 -
The US's existing investor visa has already been flagged domestically as a fraud risk, but the new proposal did not come with any details of enhanced vetting for applicants.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he plans to offer a "gold card" granting wealthy applicants a path to citizenship at a price of $5 million (€4.76 million), replacing an investor visa that has existed for 35 years.
Describing the people he wanted to see apply, Trump told an Oval Office press conference: "They'll be wealthy and they'll be successful, and they'll be spending a lot of money and paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people, and we think it's going to be extremely successful."
Asked whether Russian oligarchs would be eligible for the gold card, Trump responded: “Yeah, possibly. I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people.”
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