STATEMENT OF FACTS 20211
REQUEST FOR AN ADVISORY OPINION SUBMITTED BY UNESCO
1 Xandia is a presidential republic. At the time of the events Luca Zarago was the
head government. Xandia’ economy relies heavily on tourism. Ysegur is a
parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. The current monarch,
Queen Paula, has been the Head of State since 1967. Prime Minister Pompy has
been in power since 2017.
2 Both Xandia and Ysegur are members of the United Nations and of the World Trade
Organization. They parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on
Economic Social and Cultural Rights, the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic
Relations, and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
3 Orlando Pomegrana is an engineer from Xandia who built a platform 22,5 km off
the coast of Xandia in April 2019. The platform was 450 m2. Since it was built, the
platform is managed by Mr Pomegrana and his close friends: Eduardo Stoppa, an
architect, Giorgio Allandi, a former museum curator and Matilda Da Angel, who
used to own an art gallery.
4 The only way to access the platform was from the Xandian coast. Initially, Xandia
was unaware a man-made island had been constructed. However, this changed when
local authorities noticed that tourists would leave the Xandian coast to go spend the
day on the platform, which had opened a museum of modern art, and returned at
night. Xandian authorities immediately protested against such activities, which they
viewed as a tax evasion scheme.
5 In January 2020, Mr Pomegrana declared the platform to be an independent state
and named it the Republic of Pomegranate Island. His dream was to build a new
state where all cultures could meet, take part in exchanges and learn from one
another. He thought the best way to do this was through art and was deeply
committed to gathering art from around the world and to host exhibitions. Mr
Pomegrana declared himself as president and appointed Ms Da Angel as Finance
Minister, Mr Allandi as the Minister of Internal Affairs and Mr Stoppa as the
Minister of Foreign Affairs. Together they formed the government of Pomegranate
Island. One of their first announcements was that the island had its own language, its
own currency and a post office.
6 Many prestigious artists were attracted to Pomegranate Island and donated their
artwork to its museum. Some of them also requested citizenship. President
Pomegrana therefore started issuing a limited number of passports. By June 2020,
120 people were officially Pomegranate nationals. None of these passports were
recognized by other states.
1 The following facts are based on the true story of the Insulo de la Rozoj. A film recounting this story is
available on Netflix, Rose Island.
REQUEST FOR AN ADVISORY OPINION SUBMITTED BY UNESCO
1 Xandia is a presidential republic. At the time of the events Luca Zarago was the
head government. Xandia’ economy relies heavily on tourism. Ysegur is a
parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. The current monarch,
Queen Paula, has been the Head of State since 1967. Prime Minister Pompy has
been in power since 2017.
2 Both Xandia and Ysegur are members of the United Nations and of the World Trade
Organization. They parties to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on
Economic Social and Cultural Rights, the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic
Relations, and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties.
3 Orlando Pomegrana is an engineer from Xandia who built a platform 22,5 km off
the coast of Xandia in April 2019. The platform was 450 m2. Since it was built, the
platform is managed by Mr Pomegrana and his close friends: Eduardo Stoppa, an
architect, Giorgio Allandi, a former museum curator and Matilda Da Angel, who
used to own an art gallery.
4 The only way to access the platform was from the Xandian coast. Initially, Xandia
was unaware a man-made island had been constructed. However, this changed when
local authorities noticed that tourists would leave the Xandian coast to go spend the
day on the platform, which had opened a museum of modern art, and returned at
night. Xandian authorities immediately protested against such activities, which they
viewed as a tax evasion scheme.
5 In January 2020, Mr Pomegrana declared the platform to be an independent state
and named it the Republic of Pomegranate Island. His dream was to build a new
state where all cultures could meet, take part in exchanges and learn from one
another. He thought the best way to do this was through art and was deeply
committed to gathering art from around the world and to host exhibitions. Mr
Pomegrana declared himself as president and appointed Ms Da Angel as Finance
Minister, Mr Allandi as the Minister of Internal Affairs and Mr Stoppa as the
Minister of Foreign Affairs. Together they formed the government of Pomegranate
Island. One of their first announcements was that the island had its own language, its
own currency and a post office.
6 Many prestigious artists were attracted to Pomegranate Island and donated their
artwork to its museum. Some of them also requested citizenship. President
Pomegrana therefore started issuing a limited number of passports. By June 2020,
120 people were officially Pomegranate nationals. None of these passports were
recognized by other states.
1 The following facts are based on the true story of the Insulo de la Rozoj. A film recounting this story is
available on Netflix, Rose Island.
