"[The Board of Peace would] work with many others, including the United Nations."

"Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever in conjunction with the United Nations. You know, I've always said the United Nations has got tremendous potential."

"Every one of them [those signing on the 'Board of Peace'] is a friend of mine. A couple, let's see, a couple I like, a couple I don't like."

"No, I like, actually, this group. I like every single one of them, can you believe it? Usually I have about two or three that I can't stand." 

"[I wish that] we didn't need a Board of Peace [but the UN had failed to help solve the world's conflicts]."

U.S. President Donald J. Trump

U.S. President Donald Trump, centre, sits with leaders of other countries during a signing ceremony for his 'Board of Peace' initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

"I think what you're seeing is a board that has been cobbled together for Gaza with much bigger aspirations. But with a set of skills and a set of people that is really very Middle East centric, and I think has quite little relevance to crises outside of that region."

"Yes, the UN has very serious problems. But I think that doesn't mean that Europeans [and] many others — in South America, for example — want to see a world in which the White House, in which Trump, in which Americans acquire disproportionate power over these sorts of decisions."

"This is not just a contest that the U.S. can shape by itself and say, 'I'm done with the UN, it's over.' The Chinese will keep playing this game. Very powerful rising countries like Brazil and India will have a stake in the UN, and they will seek to influence its agencies and bodies more and more as the U.S. draws back." 

Shashank Joshi, defence editor, The Economist  

President Donald Trump in Davos officially launched his Board of Peace initiative, claiming his very personal project so dear to his heart which may yet gain him 2026's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize, joined on stage by his board's founding members comprised of political allies such as President Javier Milei of Argentina, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and representatives from Bahrain, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan.

 

All of whom were pleased to join Mr. Trump at the document signing table where the board's charter was declared to be 'in full force', as an "official international organization". Phase two of the Peace Plan is set to proceed, despite the fact that Phase one has not been fully implemented. And considering the critical nature of fully implementing the first portion of the plan focusing on dismantling and disarming the Hamas terrorist group governing Gaza, to follow on seems a trifle premature. It represents, in fact, a failure.

 

Not according to Mr. Trump who considers the initial peace plan phase successful, emphasizing his intention and that of the United States to have Gaza 'properly rebuilt'. There are some heads of state who, given the uncertainties that lie ahead and their concerns regarding the makeup of the board's membership who prefer to hang back before finalizing their decisions to join, and others who are certain there is no good reason for them to be part of the notional planned success. 

 

US President Donald Trump (C) speaks during the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh on October 13, 2025. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP)

 

American allies, part of the Group of Seven, remain uneasily on the sidelines. Originally the board was proposed to help oversee the reconstruction of Gaza. A broader purpose has been newly revealed: to "secure enduring peace on areas affected or threatened by conflict", a vision that places many U.S. allies on alert, concerned there is a hidden agenda to rival and perhaps replace the traditional 'relevance' of the United Nations.

 

That a new draft plan suggests countries joining the board contribute $1 billion each should they wish to  place themselves past the initial three-year registration to permanent status, may have taken many aback. The view being that Mr. Trump will remain its chairman in perpetuity, making all the decisions as its "inaugural chairman". The invitation extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko certainly persuaded Volodymyr Zelenskyy to politely turn down his own invitation, while raising eyebrows throughout Europe.

 

Altogether some 60 leaders were given invitations to join. France, the United Kingdom, Sweden, the Netherlands, Norway and Germany have declined their invitations. Canada accepted, but given its trade overtures to Beijing that followed, has been  summarily disinvited.  The UN Security Council had originally endorsed the Gaza plan, but may since have had second thoughts.