US President Donald Trump kicked off his new “Board of Peace” at Davos on Thursday, with a signing ceremony for a body with a $1 billion membership fee and a controversial list of invitees.
A group of leaders and senior officials from 19 countries, including Trump allies from Argentina and Hungary, gathered on stage with Trump to put their names to the founding charter of the body.
Trump, who is the chairman of the Board of Peace, said they were “in most cases very popular leaders, in some cases not so popular. That’s the way it goes in life.”
Originally meant to oversee peace in Gaza after the war between Hamas and Israel, the board’s charter envisions a wider role in resolving international conflicts, sparking concerns that Trump wants it to rival the United Nations.
Trump, however, said the organisation would work “in conjunction” with the UN.
The Board of Peace’s potential membership has, however, proved controversial, with Trump having invited Russian President Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine four years ago.
Trump said Putin had agreed to join, while the Russian leader said he was still studying the invite.
Permanent members must also pay $1 billion to join, leading to criticisms that the board could become a “pay to play” version of the UN Security Council.
UK, France Snub Signing
Key US allies, including France and Britain, have expressed scepticism, with the UK saying Thursday it would not attend the ceremony.
The members on stage largely held close ties to Trump, including Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Argentina’s Javier Milei, or a wish to show their allegiance to the US president.
Officials from Bahrain, Morocco, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Mongolia also signed the document with Trump.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over the war in Gaza, has said he will join but was not at the ceremony.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the ceremony that the board’s focus was “first and foremost on making sure that this peace deal in Gaza becomes enduring.”
Trump, however, said Hamas to disarm under the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire accord, or it will be the “end of them.”
The launch of the board comes against the backdrop of Trump’s frustration at having failed to win the Nobel Peace Prize, despite his disputed claim to have ended eight conflicts
