Nine countries so far – including Hungary – have agreed to join US President Donald Trump’s proposed Board of Peace, a new international body initially focused on Gaza but now promoted by Trump as a broader forum for resolving global conflicts.
Nations that have confirmed participation are the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Argentina, Belarus, Hungary, Israel and Egypt.
While the board was first presented as a small group to oversee a Gaza ceasefire, the Trump administration has since broadened the concept – with invitations sent to dozens of countries and the president suggesting it could rival existing international institutions.
Trump is due to take part in an announcement about the Board of Peace on Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The White House has said members are still being invited and the structure has not yet been finalised.
Asked on Tuesday whether the board should replace the United Nations, Trump said: “It might.” He criticised the UN as having “never lived up to its potential”, while adding it should continue “because the potential is so great".
One year of Trump: the 'far-right revolution’ testing America and the world
Power at a price
A draft charter obtained by the Associated Press shows that much of the board’s authority would rest with its chairman, a role Trump has said he will hold.
Under the draft, the chair would have the power to invite members, break tied votes, decide how often the board meets and create or dissolve subsidiary bodies.
The board would be funded by contributions from member states serving three-year terms. Countries paying “more than one billion US dollars in cash” during their first year would secure permanent membership, the draft says.
The document argues there is a need for a “more nimble and effective international peace-building body” and that “durable peace” requires moving away from institutions that have “too often failed” a US official said.
The official added the draft is under constant revision and may change.
Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko said on Tuesday he had already signed the document following his invitation. Lukashenko is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has also been invited to join the board.
France's refusal to join Trump's 'Board of Peace' sparks new wine tariff threat
Invitations under review
Invitations have been sent to leaders including Canada’s Mark Carney, Paraguay’s Santiago Pena, Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Putin. Russia, Israel, India, Slovenia, Thailand and the European Union’s executive arm have said they received invitations.
The Kremlin is “studying the details” and seeking clarity on “all the nuances”, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Trump confirmed on Monday night that Putin had been invited.
It was not immediately clear how many other leaders would receive invitations or which countries might eventually take part.
France has said it does not plan to join.
“Yes to implementing the peace plan presented by the president of the United States, which we wholeheartedly support, but no to creating an organisation as it has been presented, which would replace the United Nations,” said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot.
Trump reacted by saying of President Emmanuel Macron: “Well, nobody wants him because he’s going to be out of office very soon.”
A day later, Trump called Macron “a friend of mine” but repeated that the French leader is “not going to be there very much longer”.
Italy will also reportedly stay out. Newspaper Corriere della Sera reported that joining a body led by a single country would conflict with Italy’s constitution, which allows participation in international organisations only on equal terms with other states.
The Italian government did not immediately comment.
