At the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, US President Donald Trump expressed his intention to expand his ‘Board of Peace’ beyond the realms of overseeing the Gaza ceasefire and pit it against the United Nations Security Council, which Trump claims failed to perform its duty.
So far, Qatar, Pakistan and the UAE are among those who have joined the board’s council; while India and Russia are still mulling the offer. France, Norway and Sweden have declined.
According to sources, a total of eight Muslim-majority countries have so far accepted Trump’s invitation to join the Board of Peace after invitations were extended on Wednesday.
However, the Muslim-majority nations reaffirmed in a joint statement their commitment to the board’s original mission of advancing peace and reconstruction in Gaza, and supporting the Palestinians’ right to statehood.
France, a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council, said it would not accept Trump’s offer, while three other veto-wielding members –Russia, China and Britain – said they were still assessing it.
Additionally, several EU members have declined to join it, including Norway, Sweden and Slovenia, citing concerns that the initiative would seriously undermine the UN Security Council and the rules-based international order established by the UN Charter.
Earlier in November, the UN Security Council authorised the Board of Peace to serve as a transitional body to oversee a US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
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However, in expanding the board’s scope, Trump has positioned the United States as a potential mediator in other global conflicts, effectively presenting it as a rival to the UN Security Council.
Robert Wood, a retired US ambassador to the United Nations who served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, said if Trump is attempting to replace the Security Council with a Board of Peace dealing with issues beyond Gaza, he doesn’t believe “it would gain much traction in the international community”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is likely to meet US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to discuss plans for Russia joining the Board of Peace.
Putin said during a meeting of Russia’s Security Council that the country’s foreign ministry had been instructed to analyse Trump’s offer, and said a reply would follow in due course.
The Russian leader also pledged to donate $1 billion to the board, which he said could be furnished from frozen Russian assets.
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