 "Nauru, island nation")
Nauru, a tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean, is offering citizenship for $105,000 (over Rs 91.44 lakh) per passport. To battle the rising sea levels and secure its future, the government has unveiled a "golden passport" scheme, turning citizenship into a lifeline for climate action.
The country that covers just 20 square kilometers is selling citizenships to collect funds to relocate Nauru’s 12,500 citizens to safer, higher ground.
The tiny island faces several serious threats, such as rising sea levels, storm surges, and coastal erosion. Hence, immediate action is necessary.
While explaining the situation, the president of Nauru, David Adeang, said, “While the world debates climate action, we must take proactive steps to secure our nation’s future.”
The government mentioned that people with criminal histories would not be allowed to avail citizenship, attempting to reduce the possibility of the scheme being exploited for criminal gains.
Also Read
Promise and peril of golden passports
This is not the first time that the government has initiated the passport program; earlier, the government's golden passport programs were exploited.
In the mid-1990s, an earlier program was spoiled by scandal as two alleged Al Qaeda terrorists carrying Nauru passports were arrested in Malaysia in 2003.
Kirstin Surak, associate professor of political sociology at the London School of Economics and the author of The Golden Passport: Global Mobility for Millionaires, told CNN that such initiatives allow people to lead “global lives,” especially benefiting people with more restrictive passports.
The latest initiative by the government of Nauru offers visa-free access to 89 countries, including the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.
Through this program, the government plans to generate over $5.6 million in its first year, which might be boosted to around $42 million annually. The goal is to contribute 19% of the total government revenue.
The government is very cautious while implementing the plan,“as we assess for any unintended consequences or negative impact,” said the CEO of the Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program.
Nauru is not the only country selling passports to raise funds for climate resilience. The Caribbean country of Dominica has also launched a citizenship-by-investment program, running since 1993. With the proceeds from the program, the Caribbean country of Dominica aims to fund its goal of becoming the world’s first climate-resilient nation by 2030.
