U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday launched a new international body he calls the Board of Peace, initially aimed at stabilizing the fragile ceasefire in Gaza but intended to take on a broader global role.
Trump said the board would work alongside the United Nations, even as some world powers expressed concern it could dilute the U.N.’s central role in diplomacy and conflict resolution.
“Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do,” Trump said at the signing ceremony. “And we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations.” He added that the U.N. has significant untapped potential.
Trump, who will chair the board, invited dozens of world leaders to participate. He said the body should eventually address conflicts beyond Gaza, a prospect that has raised skepticism among traditional U.S. allies and major global powers.
Several Middle Eastern nations, including Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have joined, along with emerging economies such as Indonesia. Western allies have been more cautious. Reuters did not observe representatives from top global powers, Israel or the Palestinian Authority at the signing.
Trump said permanent members of the board would be required to contribute $1 billion each to fund its work.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the board’s immediate priority would be ensuring the implementation of the Gaza peace plan, but added it could also serve as a model for resolving conflicts elsewhere.
Global role
No other permanent member of the U.N. Security Council has formally committed to joining the board. The five permanent members hold the most influence over international diplomacy and international law.
Russia said it was reviewing the proposal after Trump suggested Moscow would participate. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia could contribute $1 billion using frozen U.S. assets to support Palestinians, according to state media.
France declined to join. Britain said it was not participating for now. China has not publicly stated whether it will take part.
The board’s formation was endorsed through a U.N. Security Council resolution tied to Trump’s Gaza peace plan. U.N. spokesperson Rolando Gomez said U.N. engagement would be limited strictly to that framework.
Most countries that have signed on are not democracies. Israel, Argentina and Hungary, whose leaders are close political allies of Trump, have indicated they will participate.
“There’s tremendous potential with the United Nations,” Trump said. “The combination of the Board of Peace and the people we have here could be something very unique for the world.”
Board members include Rubio, U.S. Gaza negotiators Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.