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By:
CNN
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Translated by: Flutura Gashi-Mehmeti
- 22 January 2026 09:54
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The Peace Board formed by US President Donald Trump was established in Davos, Switzerland, on Thursday. Participation in the Board was signed by 19 countries, while the main Western allies of the US were absent. Trump said after the signing that he wants his "Peace Board" to work in cooperation with the United Nations, although he criticized the UN for failing to fulfill its potential.
What is the Peace Board?
Trump initially floated the idea of the Peace Board as part of the second phase of the US-brokered 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan in September.
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Letter to the Reader — Why We're Asking for Your Support ContributeThe UN Security Council backed the plan in November – giving it international legitimacy – with a mandate for the board to oversee the demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza.
But Trump had long-term plans. The draft charter, obtained by CNN, describes the Peace Board as an “international organization” that promotes stability, peace and governance “in areas affected by or threatened by conflict.”
Trump will serve as chairman of the board indefinitely, potentially holding the position beyond his second term as president, according to the charter.
The "Peace Board" will sit on a "founding Executive Board" that includes Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Who has accepted it?
The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Pakistan, Turkey, Hungary, Morocco, Kosovo, Argentina and Paraguay have accepted Trump's invitation. So have the Central Asian states of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and the Southeast Asian countries of Indonesia and Vietnam.
Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu is also on the board, although he has expressed anger at the inclusion of Turkish and Qatari officials on the executive board for Gaza and faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court.
Armenia and Azerbaijan, which signed a US-brokered peace deal last year that gives the US exclusive access to developing a critical transit corridor in the region, have also agreed.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, often described as Europe's last dictator and a key ally of Russian leader Vladimir Putin, has also registered.
"I have some controversial people in it," Trump told CNN, referring to his claim that Putin has agreed to join. The Russian leader has yet to confirm his decision, although he has mentioned using frozen Russian assets in the U.S. to pay the $1 billion fee for a permanent site. Putin's possible involvement has raised concerns about how a country actively waging a war could be involved in an effort to secure peace.
Canada's Mark Carney, who has repeatedly criticized Trump for destroying the "rules-based" global order and imposing punitive tariffs, intends to join with conditions, saying the details, including financial ones, have not yet been determined.
Who has rejected it?
Some countries have not yet committed, while others have declined invitations.
France and Norway have refused in part because of questions about how the Peace Board would function in cooperation with the UN.
China confirmed it had been invited but did not say whether it would join. A foreign ministry spokesman said on Wednesday that China “will remain firmly committed to upholding the international system with the UN at its core.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said it is difficult to see being "together with Russia in any council", adding that "the problem is that Russia is our enemy and Belarus is its ally".
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has said there could be constitutional issues with membership and that she will not attend the signing ceremony. While Irish Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said she would consider the invitation “carefully.”
What are the concerns?
Trump's Peace Board has been mired in controversy.
Diplomats, officials and world leaders have expressed serious concerns about the board's expanded mandate, Trump's indefinite presidency and the potential damage it could cause to the work of the UN.
Member states will serve three-year terms, after which they must pay $1 billion for a permanent seat. The funds raised will go toward rebuilding Gaza, according to a U.S. official, but the move has been criticized as prone to corruption.
Trump's comments that the board "could" replace the UN have raised concerns that it could become a tool to replace the institution created 80 years ago to maintain global peace. The board's charter mentions "institutions that have too often failed," without specifically mentioning the UN, an organization that Trump has repeatedly criticized.
The UN's top humanitarian official and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Tom Fletcher, has told CNN that Trump's Peace Board will not replace his organization.
Peace Board Established, Trump Vows to Work with UN
Photo: Associated Press
The Peace Board formed by US President Donald Trump was established on Thursday in Davos, Switzerland.
The board has been signed by dozens of countries, while the US's main Western allies have been absent.
Trump said after the signing that he wants his "Peace Board" to work in collaboration with the United Nations, although he criticized the UN for failing to fulfill its potential.
"Once this board is fully formed, we can do almost anything we want to do, and we will do it in cooperation with the United Nations," he said in Davos.
"I have always said that the United Nations has extraordinary potential. It has not used it, but it has extraordinary potential," he added.
Trump had previously suggested that the "Peace Board," which he formed primarily to help rebuild Gaza, "could" eventually replace the UN. But on Thursday he said he wanted the two to work in combination, claiming it could result in "something very, very unique for the world."
However, he spoke harshly about the UN's current performance, claiming that it had played little role in mediating the conflicts that Trump counts among the so-called wars he believes he has ended.
"In the eight wars that I've ended, I've never talked to the United Nations, not one of them," Trump said. "They tried, I think, and some of them, but they didn't try hard enough."
No Western European allies at Trump's Peace Council ceremony
Photo: Associated Press
President Donald Trump's "Peace Board" signing ceremony featured representatives from fewer than 20 countries, and none of the US's traditional Western European allies.
The nations represented at Davos lean heavily towards the Middle East and South America, with leaders from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Argentina and Paraguay among those attending.
"We are truly honored by your presence today," Trump said, referring to them as "in most cases very popular leaders, in some cases not so popular."
The total number of participants is significantly lower than the 35, as a senior administration official told reporters earlier this week.
And it did not include any Western European nations, some of whom have raised concerns over the idea of a dedicated peace board that could include adversaries like Russia currently at war with one of their allies.
Britain won't join Trump's Peace Council because of Putin
Photo: Associated Press
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has stated that the United Kingdom will not join the "Peace Board" proposed by US President Donald Trump, due to concerns about the possible participation of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
Cooper told the BBC that the UK had been invited to join the board, but that it "will not be one of the signatories today" at a ceremony planned for the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.
The Foreign Secretary has described the board as a “legal treaty that raises much broader issues” than the initiative’s initial focus on ending the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The White House's proposed charter makes no mention of Palestinian territory and appears to be designed to replace some functions of the United Nations.
Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt and Israel have declared that they will become members of the board, while in Davos, President Trump said that Putin had accepted the invitation to join the initiative.
However, President Putin has not confirmed this and has previously stated that his country is still considering the invitation.