Global Peace Partnership Sideletter – Special Development Zones (SEZs)

The SEZs serve the targeted economic development of disadvantaged regions. They combine investment freedom with social responsibility.

• Autonomous Special Status: Each SEZ has autonomous status as GPP territory (Union Freedom / UF) for 40 years.
• Reversion: After 40 years, the zone shall be returned without compensation to the territory of the host country.
• Tax Exemption: No traditional taxes apply; instead, a uniform transaction fee of 18% is levied on economic turnover (excluding investments).
• Objective: Socially stabilized, legally secure, and economically competitive zones that also assume peacekeeping functions.

• Structure:
  Non-profit management with an elected President (CEO) and Deputy.

• Election Process:
  • Application including a development and investor program (max. 30 pages),
  • Presentation before the GPP election committee,
  • Term of office: 2 years,
  • Mandatory 10% budget reserve.

• Oversight & Accountability:
  • Personal liability in cases of gross negligence,
  • Dismissal if targets deviate by more than 3%,
  • Interim management by the runner-up team, new election within 30 days.
• Remuneration:
  • Fixed budget as per application,
  • Performance bonus: max. 1% of collected transaction fees upon achievement of targets.

• State SEZ Bank:
  • Digital transactions exclusively through the state-owned online bank,
  • No cash transfers, no foreign currencies,
  • Monthly audits by external experts.
• Transparency:
  • Every payment is traceably documented,
  • Budget usage is publicly accessible.

• The state SEZ bank monitors all transactions in real time and conducts monthly evaluations to ensure that all funds are used in accordance with the designated budgetary and program objectives.
• Deviations, anomalies, or rule violations are automatically flagged and reported to the internal oversight body.

External Oversight by Independent Auditors

• SEZs are required to commission at least one independent auditor annually to verify compliance with financing, procurement, and expenditure regulations.
• The full audit report shall be submitted, in accordance with Article 16 paragraphs 2 and 3, to:
  • the GPP Financial Supervisory Authority, and
  • the GPP Transparency Council.
• The most important key figures and audit results shall be publicly accessible on the SEZ web platform.

Sanctions in Case of Violations

• If violations of the financial rules are identified – such as:
  • misuse of public funds,
  • non-transparent procurement,
  • or deliberate concealment of payments – the responsible parties shall be sanctioned immediately.
• Possible measures include:
  • dismissal of the executive management,
  • freezing of disbursement rights,
  • removal from operational leadership functions.
• In cases of serious violations, the GPP may order an international special audit and initiate legal action.

If an external auditor is proven to have intentionally concealed deficiencies or produced incomplete reports, the GPP may permanently exclude and take legal action against them.

Objective of this Regulation:
The SEZs are intended not only to operate efficiently but also to act credibly and fairly – in the interest of all stakeholders and the peace-promoting effect that derives from their integrity.

• Tax Exemption:
  • No corporate or income tax,
  • Uniform transaction fee (18%) for all services, including public services (healthcare, infrastructure, etc.).
• Rental Models:
  • Rent-free period: maximum of 5 years (depending on sector & volume),
  • Thereafter: graduated rates based on size, location, and infrastructure,
  • Price per square kilometer: USD 5,000–50,000/month.
• Customs Exemption:
  • Investment imports are exempt from transaction fees,
  • Deliveries into and out of SEZs are, however, subject to supply chain monitoring (see Annex 6).

• All goods traffic into and out of the SEZ is subject to an electronically monitored supply chain control system.
• To combat smuggling, black market activities, and violations of import and ethics regulations, the following apply:
  • Continuous electronic documentation of all goods entering and leaving,
  • Regular security checks and random inspections by independent, accredited inspection services.
• Customs or tax exemptions for capital goods do not exempt from this control obligation.
• Sanctions are imposed exclusively in cases of grossly negligent or intentional violations by the SEZ security authority in accordance with GPP regulations.

• Protection Structure:
  • Military protection of the borders by the GPP,
  • Joint defense headquarters with a clear chain of command.
• Border Control:
  • Biometric systems, rapid processing in under 10 minutes.
• Police & Judiciary:
  • GPP police for internal security,
  • Ethics judges for expedited proceedings.
• Asylum and Immunity:
  • No extradition of political refugees, except in cases of capital crimes (murder, hostage-taking, etc.).
• Handling of Political Refugees:
  • Protection against extradition, except in cases of: intentional murder, serious bodily harm, rape, hostage-taking, unlawful possession of weapons on a military scale,
  • Decision made by an elected ethics judge or an international arbitral tribunal.

• Social Security:
  • Financed through the transaction fee,
  • Covers: healthcare, education, childcare, pensions, road construction.
• Language Regulation:
  • All employees have 12 months to achieve language level A1–B2,
  • Failure to comply means obligation to leave.

• SEZ State Bank:
  • Real-time monitoring of transactions, monthly evaluations.
• External Oversight:
  • At least one independent auditor, report to the GPP Financial Supervisory Authority and the GPP Transparency Council in accordance with Article 16 paragraphs 2 and 3,
  • Key figures publicly accessible on the SEZ platform.
• Sanctions:
  • In case of violations: dismissal, freezing of disbursements, special audits,
  • Auditor liability in cases of intentional misreporting.

(Supplement to Article 9 of the GPP Main Agreement)
Purpose and Spirit of the Regulation: This section serves as a guiding framework for coexistence in the SEZs. The SEZs are places of social peace and mutual support – not of cultural segregation or social overextension. Anyone who wishes to become part of this community is welcome – provided they are willing to participate, learn, and take responsibility.

Ideological Neutrality
In the Special Development Zones (SEZs) of the GPP, people from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and religions come together. To ensure mutual respect, social peace, and a discrimination-free working and living environment, the following principles apply:

Religious and spiritual beliefs are a private matter. Their practice is unrestricted in private spaces (e.g., residences) but is not permitted in public spaces – particularly in educational institutions, workplaces, administrative facilities, and on streets and squares.

The aim is to avoid tensions, ideological disputes, or the influencing of others, and instead to foster a shared, secular, and peaceful coexistence.

Family Reunification and Social Responsibility
Family reunification is generally possible but is subject to clearly defined integration requirements:
a) Language Requirements:

• Family members must, before entry, demonstrate proficiency in at least two out of four language levels in the host country’s national language. This may be proven through certified online courses, AI-based language verification, or official tests.
• The remaining two language levels must be completed within six months after entry. Free integration courses are available in the SEZ for this purpose.

b) Economic Self-Sufficiency:

• Family reunification is permitted only if:
  • the income of the person already working in the SEZ fully covers the family’s living expenses, or
  • the joining family member has a binding job offer in the SEZ.

c) Social Security:

• Family members have full access to medical care, language training, educational institutions, and job placement services – provided that the minimum language and economic requirements are met.

• Humanitarian Care Centers (HCCs):
  • Provision of food, medicine, and social shops.
  • Financing: Member countries: voluntary contribution (from 0.2% of GDP).
• Private individuals & companies:
  • tax-deductible donations (provided national laws are adjusted),
  • Allocation key: At least 80% of donations for relief goods,
• Maximum 20% for logistics and administration.
  • Food transports may also come from surplus goods, e.g., before their expiry date.

Use of the Dove Symbol by Companies

• Companies that make a significant contribution to peacekeeping measures within the framework of the GPP are granted the right to visibly use the official GPP peace symbol – a white dove with a color-marked beak – as a public sign of their contribution:
  • From an annual donation of at least 0.2% of company turnover: → Entitlement to use the dove symbol with a silver beak (“Silver Honor”)
  • From an annual donation of at least 0.5% of company turnover: → Entitlement to use the dove symbol with a golden beak (“Golden Honor”)
• These companies may visibly display the respective symbol in their public communications – for example, on websites, publications, products, clothing, buttons, or at events.
• In addition, they have preferential eligibility to participate in tenders and public procurement processes within the GPP.

Use by Citizens

• Individuals who make a voluntary membership contribution of at least USD 1.00 per month or USD 12.00 per year are entitled to use the GPP peace symbol in its basic form as a visible sign of their personal involvement – for example, on clothing, social media, buttons, or page markers.
• This usage represents their support for peace-promoting measures and their rejection of any form of aggression.

Use of Donations

• Membership contributions are used exclusively for humanitarian purposes, in particular for:
  • the provision of food,
  • school and vocational training programs

in GPP member states with an average per capita income of less than USD 400 that have agreed to the establishment of SEZs.

This side letter ensures that the Special Development Zones (SEZs) of the GPP are:

• efficiently and digitally managed,
• transparently monitored and audited,
• culturally peaceful and socially balanced,
• as well as economically stable and investor-friendly in their design.

It forms an integral part of the Global Peace Partnership (GPP) and supplements the contractual foundations in accordance with Articles 9 and 16 of the main agreement.