Trump's Board of Peace envisions an alternative UN, with himself at the top

Trump's proposed Board of Peace, initially tied to Gaza, is expanding into a global conflict-resolution body, drawing mixed reactions as leaders gather at Davos

The Board of Peace led by US President Donald Trump was originally envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing the Gaza ceasefire plan. 

Since then, the Trump administration’s ambitions have ballooned into a more sprawling concept, with Trump extending invitations to dozens of nations and hinting the board will soon broker global conflicts, like a pseudo-UN Security Council. 

Trump is headed for the World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos, Switzerland, where more details are expected to emerge. Ahead of Davos, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that he had agreed to join the board, despite his previous criticism of the board’s committee overseeing the Gaza ceasefire. Pakistan also accepted the invitation and Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, along with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, are likely to see Trump at WEF. 

The board’s charter has not yet been made public, but a draft version obtained by The Associated Press indicates that much of the power will be concentrated in Trump’s hands. A $1 billion contribution secures permanent membership, the draft says. 

Beyond Gaza  

The Trump administration now seems to envision the Board of Peace with a far broader scope beyond Gaza. 

In letters sent to various world leaders inviting them to the board, Trump said it would “embark on a bold new approach to resolving global conflict,” suggesting it could act as a rival to the UN Security Council, the most powerful body of the global organisation created in the wake of the second World War. 

A draft charter for the board, obtained from a European diplomat and confirmed by a US official as accurate as of Monday, uses expansive language to describe its ambitions. 

It emphasises “the need for a more nimble and effective international peace-building body” and says “durable peace” requires “the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed.” It adds an aim to “secure peace in places where it has for too long proven elusive. “Under the charter, the chairman — which Trump says will be him — has the power to invite member states, break any ties in a vote, decide how frequently it meets, and create or dissolve subsidiary entities. 

The expenses of the Board of Peace will be funded by contributions from member states, which serve three-year terms.  Members who pay “more than one billion United States dollars in cash” during their first year can have a permanent place on the board, the draft says. 

The draft is under constant revision, is not finalised and may undergo significant changes, according to the US official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. 

Countries invited  

So far, Israel, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Morocco, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Argentina, Belarus, and Pakistan have agreed to take part. 

Netanyahu’s Wednesday announcement marked a switch from his previous stance. His office had said the composition of the Gaza executive committee - which includes Türkiye, Israel's key regional rival — ran “contrary to its policy,” without saying why. 

Invitation letters from Trump also have been sent to Paraguay's leader Santiago Pena, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Also, India Russia, Slovenia, Thailand and the European Union’s executive arm have said they received invitations. 

The Kremlin is now “studying the details” and will seek clarity of “all the nuances” in contacts with the US, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Trump confirmed on Monday night that Russian President Vladimir Putin had been invited. 

It was not immediately clear how many or which other leaders would receive invitations. 

Some US allies decline 

France — which is at odds with the Trump administration over its desire to take over Greenland, a self-governing territory overseen by Nato ally Denmark — apparently doesn’t plan to join the board so far. 

“Yes to implementing the peace plan presented by the president of the US, which we wholeheartedly support, but no to creating an organisation as it has been presented, which would replace the United Nations,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday. 

Hearing late Monday that French President Emmanuel Macron was unlikely to join, Trump said, “Well, nobody wants him because he's going to be out of office very soon.” “I'll put a 200 per cent tariff on his wines and Champagnes and he'll join,” Trump told reporters. “But he doesn't have to join.” 

‘Gaza Executive Board’ 

The White House said an executive board will work to carry out the vision of the Board of Peace. 

The executive board’s members include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga, and Trump’s deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel. 

The White House also announced the members of another board, the Gaza Executive Board, which, according to the ceasefire deal, will be in charge of implementing the tough second phase of the agreement. That includes deploying an international security force, disarming the Palestinian militant Hamas group and rebuilding the war-devastated territory. 

Nickolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and UN Mideast envoy, is to serve as the Gaza executive board’s representative overseeing day-to-day matters.  

The board also will supervise a newly appointed committee of Palestinian technocrats who will be running Gaza’s day-to-day affairs. associated press