Daniel Jackson, the 21-year-old president of the self-declared Free Republic of Verdis, accepted a humanitarian award at a United Nations gala in New York.
Jackson, who was born in Dover, Kent, and identifies as both British and Australian, traveled to the UN Delegates Dining Hall at UN headquarters for the ceremony hosted by the Institute of Public Policy and Diplomacy Research. The honor recognized aid provided by Verdis on the Ivory Coast, and Jackson delivered an acceptance speech before the assembled guests.
“It definitely was intense. It was a very interesting experience. There were quite a lot of high end people there. It was very nerve wrecking,” Jackson said. “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.”
The presidential title is one Jackson assigned himself in 2019, when at age 14 he and a group of friends seized on a geographic anomaly. Following a border dispute between Croatia and Serbia, several pockets of land along the Danube River remained unclaimed by either nation. On May 30, 2019, Jackson declared one such pocket—officially mapped as Pocket-3—as the Free Republic of Verdis.
Verdis now claims about 125 acres, which would make it the second smallest country in the world behind Vatican City. The territory is accessible only by boat from Osijek. Jackson has constructed the trappings of statehood: passports, a flag, merchandise, a full cabinet, laws, a coat of arms, and two embassies in Dover and Novi Sad, Serbia. The country counts 400 official citizens, uses the Euro as currency, and recognizes English, Croatian, and Serbian as official languages.
The UN recognition extended beyond the gala. Verdis was invited to speak at the United Nations General Assembly Youth Mobilization Segment on October 9, with Humanitarian Affairs Minister Jeffrey Li representing the micronation. Li addressed the assembly on Verdis’s past efforts and future plans.
“Every time we go to New York we always get a decent amount of dialogue and connections,” Jackson said. “Having the opportunity to have my colleague speak directly at the UNGA youth forum was amazing. It allowed him to open up more connections for Verdis particularly around youth involvement, aid, and things like that.”
Jackson’s physical access to his own claimed territory remains blocked. Croatian authorities have banned him from entering Croatia and, he alleges, installed cameras along the Verdisian coastline to prevent access from Serbia. This has left the government operating in exile, though Jackson reports progress with Serbian officials—he has been accepted for Serbian citizenship.
“We are still thriving. We are making a lot of progress, but we are still blockaded,” he shared. “We are carrying out Verdis’ values even while we continue to operate in exile. Croatia are still quite tough on us. They have really cracked down regarding Verdis government officials being able to enter Verdis. They are very much watching us. We are really hoping that the blockade could be lifted soon. We are still working towards it.”
The micronation has attracted significant attention online, with Jackson reporting over 1,000 emails monthly from prospective citizens. The small land area forces strict limits on acceptance. Jackson previously designed Roblox worlds but left that work to dedicate himself full-time to Verdis.
“Verdis was an idea I had when I was 14, it was just a bit of an experiment at first with a few mates,” he recalled. “To the naked eye it is just a lot of forest, but when you realise that you are in a country you have created it is magical. I am very amazed by it but I am not surprised by how well it is pushing because there is an amazing team behind us and the support has not stopped.”
Jackson’s October 9 speaking engagement at the UNGA Youth Mobilization Segment marked his delegation’s second major appearance at UN facilities in New York this year.