World leaders show caution on Trump’s broader ‘Board of Peace’ amid fears for UN
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The "Board of Peace" would be chaired for life by US President Donald Trump, according to a copy of the letter and draft charter.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Governments reacted cautiously on Jan 18 to US President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” initiative
Only Hungary, whose leader is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals on Jan 17, according to diplomats.
Other governments appeared reluctant to make public statements, leaving officials to express concerns anonymously about the impact on the work of the UN.
The board would be chaired for life by Mr Trump, and would start by addressing the Gaza conflict, and then be expanded to deal with other conflicts, according to a copy of the letter and draft charter seen by Reuters.
Member states would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay US$1 billion (S$1.29 billion) each to fund the board’s activities and earn permanent membership
“This simply offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity,” the White House said in a post on social media platform X.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, visiting South Korea, told reporters her country was “ready to do our part”, although it was not clear whether she was specifically referring to Gaza or the broader peace.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Jan 18 said he had agreed to Mr Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza in principle, although details were still being worked out.
A mandate for a Board of Peace was authorised by the United Nations Security Council in November, but only through 2027 and solely focused on the Gaza conflict. Russia and China, two veto wielding powers, abstained, complaining that the resolution did not give the UN a clear role in the future of Gaza.
'Dark times’
The inclusion of a “charter” in the invitation letter stoked concerns among some European governments that it could undermine the work of the UN, which Mr Trump has accused of not supporting his efforts to end conflicts around the world.
“It’s a ‘Trump United Nations’ that ignores the fundamentals of the UN charter,” said one diplomat.
Three other Western diplomats said it looked as if it would undermine the UN if it went ahead.
A further three diplomats and an Israeli source said that Mr Trump wanted the Board of Peace to eventually have a broader role beyond Gaza that would oversee the other conflicts that Mr Trump has said he has resolved.
The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Australia, Canada, the European Commission and key Middle East powers were among those invited to sit on the Board of Peace, according to officials.
“We have, of course, accepted this honourable invitation,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of Mr Trump, wrote on X.
The document said “durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed”. There was a “need for a more nimble and effective international peace-building body”, it added.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Mr Guterres “believes Member States are free to associate in different groups” in response to a question about the draft US charter for a Board of Peace.
“The United Nations will continue with its mandated work,” deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
Mr Trump, who covets the Nobel Peace Prize, said in the letter that the board would convene in the near future, adding: “This board will be one of a kind, there has never been anything like it!”
Another senior UN official did not address the plan directly, but said the United Nations was the only institution with the moral and legal ability to bring together every nation, big or small.
“And if we question that ... we fall back and very, very, dark, times,” UN General Assembly president Annalena Baerbock told Sky News, adding that it was up to individual states to decide what to do.
Mr Trump has long been wary of multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations. He has repeatedly questioned the effectiveness, cost and accountability of international bodies, arguing they often fail to serve US interests.
The US, which is required to pay 22 per cent of the UN’s regular budget, currently owes US$1.5 billion (S$1.9 billion), according to UN officials.
The White House on Jan 16 named some individuals who will sit on the board
They included US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas signed off on Mr Trump’s plan, which says a Palestinian technocratic administration will be overseen by an international board, which will supervise Gaza’s governance for a transitional period.
Trump goes for global peace role
“It’s going to, in my opinion, start with Gaza and then do conflicts as they arise,” Mr Trump told Reuters in an interview earlier this week.
Many rights experts and advocates have said that Mr Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory’s governance resembles a colonial structure, while Mr Blair’s involvement was criticised in 2025 due to his role in the Iraq War and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.
The White House did not detail the responsibilities of each member of the board. The names do not include any Palestinians. The White House said more members will be announced over the coming weeks.
It also named a separate, 11-member “Gaza Executive Board” to support the technocratic body including officials from Turkey and Qatar.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the composition of this board had not been coordinated with Israel and contradicted its policy. REUTERS
