An excerpt from Vik Sasi's contribution to our Radical Visions of Future Government collection.

Vik Sasi’s piece 'Sacrosanctuary, a State for the Stateless' takes the form of a feasibility study into the potential of a ‘Sacrosanctuary’, a new country specifically for refugees. This radical concept is both a proposed solution to improve the lot of some of the world’s most neglected and vulnerable communities, and an opportunity to explore the founding principles for a new state and interrogate the role and purpose of government.

These words adorn the Statue of Liberty, but today they ring hollow across the world. Stratifying poverty is not a particularly satisfying task, but facilitating interventions on a macro scale requires serious study in an effort to distribute finite resources. Today, there can be little doubt that refugees are at the bottom rung of this ladder.

The United Nations, NGOs and governments alike unite in talk and action, yet despite their best efforts always seem to find themselves back at square one, at the onset of the next crisis. To truly solve this problem requires a radically different solution, one that will redefine the UN’s place in the world, along with how society values sovereignty today.

Imagine UNHCR as an independent federated nation… a start-up country that accepts any human as a citizen and provides them with shelter, sustenance and dignity. Why do we not have ready-built and reusable infrastructure for those in need? It doesn’t make economic or moral sense to constantly and consistently fashion solutions for them after the proximate cause of their misfortune.

Naysayers will term this idea fanciful, and in a sense they are right. How can anyone build and operate a mini-economy, much less govern a sovereign nation, when its populace is essentially donated and free to repatriate when ready? For one, refugees spend an inordinate time away from their home country, averaging out to roughly a decade and a half – not exactly transient. But the beauty of this solution is that it isn’t solely for displaced persons, but a second-order effect of solving the “stateless” problem. This initiative represents the transformation of a refugees’ last resort into their first line of defense.

Finally, lest there be any confusion, the idea of what we are naming “Sacrosanctuary” is not and will never be a for-profit initiative nor an attempt to arbitrage refugees’ human capital. The zero-fail mission is to create a safe, dignified and voluntary path to citizenship.

Financing

While short-term financing can be provided through the WRA’s Global Programmes unit or through a pro rata re-allocation from the Regional budgets and Pillars, it is envisioned that long-term financing will be accomplished principally through the same mechanism that funds the WRA currently: public (government) and private donations. It may make sense to use existing infrastructure financing structures currently used by the World Bank, IMF and IFC such as a public-private partnership to leverage all parties globally.

Land acquisition

This is likely the second greatest challenge that will be overcome with intense diplomatic and political efforts. The easiest option would be to lease large private tracts of land with a negotiated agreement on entry to refugees (Western Australia, Northern Canada, Central Asia). Another option would be uninhabited areas (islands or desolate areas) which will have to compete with environmental issues and finally, desolate areas of expanse which will likely pose a comfort issue re: climate. A long-term vision would have a few different settings.

Governance

The organizing principle behind Sacrosanctuary’s governance is to eventually become a participatory democracy, with potential future effort to marry the concept of futarchy without jeopardizing anyone’s franchise. However, we believe a socialist philosophy with equitable resource distribution at the outset with a sun-setting transition is the best way forward. Fairness is subjective in this context, and there will be a commission composed of representatives from each of the UN member states (with a potential proportional weight for each vote based on contribution amount per capita) along with NGOs providing the most amount of aid. Ultimately, Sacrosanctuary’s raison d’être is best summed up by U.S. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley: “The people closest to the pain should be closest to the power.”

Employment

While governments traditionally view full-time employment as necessary for self-sufficiency, a traditional pitfall of resettlement is finding a job commensurate with their education and skills. Thus, the initial info intake and citizen profile will necessitate a mapping of aggregate labor supply and demand, the latter to be worked through with the commitment of the private sector. An especially important component of stable employment will involve job development, re-training and up-skilling.

Unfulfilled Expectations and Hopes

The fact of the matter is that this new nation will almost assuredly never come close to the normalcy of citizens’ previous lives in peacetime. New approaches to resettlement and integration will be needed, such as dedicated volunteer service programs for adjustment support, as well as mentorship from families that have undergone acculturation. Direct cash and investment capital to spearhead innovation must also be allocated. To the extent one believes it is possible to build a more perfect society, then that must be the overarching goal of Sacrosanctuary; and who better to live in and benefit from such an ideal place than those who have the least.

Explore a selection of the other contributions as part of our Visions of Government 2030 feature.