U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday formally launched his ambitious “Board of Peace” at the World Economic Forum, unveiling a new international body initially tied to Gaza’s fragile cease-fire but pitched as a broader platform that could reshape, and potentially rival, the United Nations’ role in global diplomacy.
Calling it “a very exciting day,” Trump told a packed ceremony in Davos that interest in joining the board was high, even as skepticism from major powers lingered.
Trump, who will chair the body, said the Board of Peace, which “everybody wants to join,” would work “in conjunction with the United Nations,” while again criticizing the U.N. for failing to stop wars despite what he described as its “tremendous potential.”
The board carries a steep entry price: $1 billion for permanent membership.
Trump said he has invited a wide array of leaders, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu and Hungary’s Viktor Orban, arguing that a mix of powerful and unconventional partners could give the board clout.
“Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do,” he said.
Originally conceived as a mechanism to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction after the Israeli assault, the board’s charter does not confine its mandate to the territory.
That open-ended scope has fueled concerns among diplomats that Trump aims to create a parallel forum to the U.N., whose central role in conflict resolution has defined global diplomacy since World War II.
Trump signed the charter alongside representatives of founding members at the Davos ceremony, though the White House has yet to release the full text of the document or a definitive membership list.
Reuters reporters did not immediately see representatives from several major global powers, nor from Israel or the Palestinian Authority.
So far, none of the other five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council has committed to join.
Russia said it is studying the proposal.
France has declined.
Britain said it is not joining “at present,” and China has yet to signal its position.
The board’s creation was endorsed by a U.N. Security Council resolution as part of Trump’s Gaza peace plan, but a U.N. spokesperson said any U.N. engagement would be limited strictly to that context.
Despite the hesitation from traditional Western allies, about 35 countries have agreed to participate, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Türkiye and Belarus. Few are liberal democracies.
Israel and Hungary, both led by close Trump allies, have said they will join.
Trump used the event to project confidence that the Gaza conflict is nearing its end.
He said fighting had been reduced to “little fires” that could be “put out very easily,” and downplayed Hezbollah’s remaining presence in Lebanon as mere “remnants.”
The Davos rollout came as Trump hosted presidents, prime ministers and senior diplomats from more than a dozen countries, with attendance heavily weighted toward the Middle East and South America.
Among those present were Argentina’s President Javier Milei, Indonesia’s President Prabowo Subianto, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, the latter two having signed a separate peace deal at the White House last year.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff accompanied Trump, along with his son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has played a behind-the-scenes role in Middle East diplomacy.
Witkoff said Trump is also considering initiatives such as a tariff-free zone for Ukraine to spur postwar reconstruction, ahead of Witkoff’s planned travel to Moscow and Abu Dhabi for further talks.
The Board of Peace launch unfolded against a broader diplomatic backdrop in Davos, including relief in Europe after Trump abruptly dropped threatened tariffs tied to his push for U.S. control over Greenland.
Trump said a new framework with NATO would address Arctic security without the use of force, though European leaders stressed that Danish sovereignty over Greenland is not negotiable.
