Resolution 2803 welcomed the board to aid with reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip, via the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza (NCAG), and authorized it to deploy a temporary peacekeeping force.[8] Critics have argued that the institution bears little resemblance to what was envisioned under Resolution 2803; The Guardian described it as a "pay-to-play club" centered on Trump's affairs rather than on the tasks at hand in the Gaza Strip, as it was revealed that invited countries would have to donate US$1 billion to the organization to renew their membership after the first three years.[9]As of 2026[update], 25 of the 62 invited countries have signed the board's charter, but it has failed to gain support in the European Union (EU).[10][11] Few national leaders have publicly accepted Trump's invitations, nor said that they have paid for membership.[12]
Experts and critics have said that Trump is trying to direct the BoP to be an alternative, where only he has veto power, to the United Nations Security Council.[13] A senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations has called the organization "a top-down project to assert Trump's control over global affairs",[14] while France has voiced concern that it seeks to usurp the role of the United Nations.[11] Trump has said that the BoP "might" replace the United Nations[15] and defended its reputation.[5][16]
The Gaza war began in October 2023 following a series of coordinated armed attacks carried out by Hamas and several other Palestinian militant groups in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.[17] During the subsequent conflict, the United States maintained diplomatic and military support to Israel, while Israel became the subject of genocide allegations in proceedings initiated by South Africa before the International Court of Justice in December 2023, allegations which Israel has rejected.[18] Former British prime minister Tony Blair initially proposed placing the Gaza Strip under international administration in August 2025.[19] United States president Donald Trump presented a similar plan in late September 2025 which was partially accepted by both the Israeli government and Hamas the following month.[17]
In early January 2026, it was reported that Nikolay Mladenov (former United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process) had been chosen to serve as BoP director-general. Mladenov subsequently held meetings with al-Sheikh and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.[24] On 11 January 2026, it was reported that Trump was expected to announce within the week the individuals whom he would appoint to the BoP. In response, Hamas spokesperson Hazem Kassem called for the expedited establishment of the NCAG.[25] With the commencement of the second phase of the Gaza Peace Agreement on 14 January 2026, it was reported that the United States had sent invitations to several countries to join the board and that it would have its first meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum summit the following week.[26] Trump announced the formation of the board on 15 January 2026 via a post on Truth Social, which said, "It is my Great Honor to announce that THE BOARD OF PEACE has been formed. The Members of the Board will be announced shortly, but I can say with certainty that it is the Greatest and Most Prestigious Board ever assembled at any time, any place."[5]
Trump attends the BoP Charter announcement and signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum, 22 January 2026
On 17 January 2026, Argentine president Javier Milei and Argentine ambassador to the United States Alec Oxenford announced that Trump had formally invited Argentina to join the Board and become a founding member.[27][28] Milei posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he thanked Trump for the invitation, calling it an "honor" and reaffirming that Argentina "stand[s] with the countries" that "confront terrorism head-on" and "defend life and property".[28][29][27] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were also invited by Trump, with Carney confirming his participation.[27] Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama posted on Facebook that Albania had been personally invited to join the Board and become a founding member, describing it as major international recognition and a sign of the country's growing international standing.[30][31]
On 20 January 2026, Trump referenced the "Board of Peace", citing that "the United Nations never helped [him]" as a reason for its existence[32] and claiming that it "might" replace the UN.[15][33] On 22 January 2026, Trump hosted a signing ceremony for the founding charter of the BoP on the sidelines of the 56th World Economic Forum in Davos. Leaders and foreign ministers of 19 countries, in addition to the United States, attended the BoP signing ceremony in Davos and signed the founding charter.[6][7] Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu chose not to attend the ceremony, citing his concern over arrest by Swiss authorities, which had stated that they were "obliged to cooperate" with the International Criminal Court arrest warrant regarding his alleged war crimes.[34] On February 7, it was reported that the first session of the Board of Peace was scheduled for February 19, and will deal with dismantling Hamas military infrastructures.[35]
Structure
US President Donald Trump is named as chairman in the charter of the BoP and is a member for life.
The charter of the BoP outlines a multi-level structure for the organization, which includes:[36]
The board proper, mainly comprising national leaders. About sixty were invited.
The Executive Board, with a focus on diplomacy and investment. Seven members were appointed.
The Gaza Executive Board, to direct the NCAG. Its head, Nickolay Mladenov, who was appointed to the board alongside ten others, is titled the High Representative for Gaza.
Chairman
Trump is explicitly named in the BoP's charter as its chairman. He is not subject to term limits and holds the sole authority to nominate his designated successor. According to the charter, as the chairman, he is exclusively authorized to invite countries to join the BoP. In that capacity, he also has the exclusive authority to create, modify, or dissolve subsidiary entities of the board. All revisions to the charter, as well as administrative directives issued by the BoP, are subject to his approval.[2] Trump's chairmanship is independent of his presidency of the United States, and he has indicated that he wants to remain chairman for life.[37][38][39][40]
Around 60 countries received invitations to join the BoP from Trump.[41] No countries from Sub-Saharan Africa received invitations. The following countries were invited to participate as founding members. Countries that wish to be permanent members of the BoP must pay US$1 billion into a fund controlled by Trump; otherwise, each country serves a three-year term which may be renewed at his discretion.[42][43]
Invitation accepted
The following states signed the charter of the BoP on 22 January 2026 and became founding members:[6]
The charter of the BoP states that it shall have an official seal approved by its chairman. A logo, used at the inaugural meeting on 22 January 2026, features a globe showing most of the United States along with Canada and Mexico, the northern portions of South America, and a small portion of Africa, while omitting Europe, Asia, and Oceania entirely. The globe is superimposed on a shield flanked by olive branches, all rendered in a gold color scheme. The design places the continental United States around the visual centre of the globe, a compositional choice that has been noted for contrasting with the globally inclusive cartographic representation used by the United Nations.[108][109][110][111] The design of the BoP logo has been widely mocked on social media. As an allegedly AI-generated derivative work of the Emblem of the United Nations, it has been described as "AI slop".[112][113][114][115][116] A senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations has described the logo as a "US-first western hemisphere flanked by rip-off UN olive branches burnished in Trumpian gold".[14]
Reception
Trump hailed the BoP as "the most prestigious Board of Leaders ever assembled, at any time".[5][16] The board has failed to attract enthusiasm from most world leaders.[80] It did not gain support from a number of Western countries, notably the United Kingdom,[10]France[11] and Norway,[117] with Keir Starmer calling Vladimir Putin's role "concerning".[118] Some European Union ambassadors reportedly raised "serious doubts" and said that they would examine the legal framework before taking a position.[80] France voiced concern that it seeks to usurp the role of the United Nations.[11] In response to France stating its intention to "not answer favourably" to Trump's invitation to join his "BoP", Trump threatened 200 percent tariffs on French wine and champagne.[119][120] He also remarked of Emmanuel Macron, "Nobody wants him because he's going to be out of office very soon."[121]
A Canadian government source expressed to the media that Canada would not pay for a seat on Trump's proposed board of peace, adding that Prime Minister Mark Carney intended to accept the invitation but not under the terms outlined by Trump. Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne later publicly confirmed that the federal government would not pay the "$1 billion US price tag." However, Trump rescinded Canada's invitation days after Carney delivered a speech at Davos warning of an "era of great power rivalry" and arguing that the US-led world order had ended.[122][80][123] Similarly, Brazil, under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, viewed the proposal with caution, expressing concern that it could concentrate excessive power in the US presidency and overshadow the role of the UN.[80]Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East said that Carney's participation would have conferred "undeserved legitimacy" on the board, adding that Canadians expected clear opposition to what it described as "Trump's power grab."[124]
Norway too declined to join; its state secretary, Kristoffer Thoner, said the proposal "raises a number of questions that require further dialogue with the United States".[125] Sweden did not issue a formal response but PM Ulf Kristersson reportedly stated on the sidelines of the 2026 World Economic Forum that the country would not sign up to the board over its textual content.[125] Slovenia's PM Robert Golob declined the invitation because the body "dangerously interferes with the broader international order".[89][125] Portuguese foreign minister Paulo Rangel declared that the Portuguese government was awaiting clarification from the Trump Administration, expressing doubts as "the way the charter is written is somewhat ambiguous as to whether it could have a scope other than just [Gaza]", while saying that the signing of international treaties "may involve internal procedures that are not compatible with just saying yes overnight".[126] Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said that participation in such a board would be incompatible with the country's constitution. Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed difficulty for Ukraine to join a board alongside Russia. UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper cited similar reason.[127]
German officials described the board as a "counter-draft" to the UN and were surprised that it proposed a permanent international organization to address global conflicts instead of focusing solely on a Gaza ceasefire.[127] The board has been described as a vanity project by the Sydney Morning Herald and "a fledgling club of autocrats" by the Financial Times.[128][129]The Guardian called it "a Trump-dominated pay-to-play club: a global version of his Mar-a-Lago court aimed at supplanting the UN itself", arguing that the body ultimately outlined bore little resemblance to what the United Nations Security Council believed it was endorsing. According to the newspaper, a charter circulated to national capitals two months after the resolution's adoption made no reference to Gaza, instead presenting the BoP as a permanent global institution. The article noted that most of the document focused on internal rules granting sweeping authority to the chairman—Donald Trump, the only individual named—including the exclusive power to appoint and dismiss members, set agendas, and issue resolutions, while other members could obtain permanent status only by paying a US$1 billion fee, still leaving effective control concentrated in Trump's hands.[9]Bloomberg described this as Trump holding the board's "ultimate decision-making power".[130] Sania Faisal El-Husseini, a professor of international relations at the Arab-American University in Palestine, noted that the organization "is not an international body with legal personality".[131]
Elon Musk questioned the BoP during remarks at the World Economic Forum, joking about the homophony of "peace" and "piece" while referring to "a little piece of Greenland, a little piece of Venezuela", before adding that "all we want is peace."[132]Mary Robinson, a former chair of The Elders, described the board as a "delusion of power" and said that, unlike the UN, its charter did not contain the word "Gaza".[133]
↑President Trump formally invited Mexico to join the Board on 27 January 2026. The Mexican government said, on 2 February, that President Claudia Sheinbaum will soon respond to the invitation.[82]
↑On 8 February 2026, Romanian President Nicușor Dan stated that he was interested in joining the board "on [the] condition its charter is revised".[85]
↑Prime Minister Mark Carney agreed in principle to join the board, but ruled out paying for permanent membership.[90] On 22 January 2026, Trump withdrew the invitation, claiming that Carney had upset his feelings.[91]
↑Drabløs, Øystein Tronsli (21 January 2026). "Sweden says no to Trump's peace council". Aftenposten. Retrieved 21 January 2026. Eksperter og kritikere mener Trump forsøker å gjøre rådet til et alternativ til FNs sikkerhetsråd der bare han selv har vetomakt.[Experts and critics believe Trump is trying to turn the council into an alternative to the UN Security Council, where only he himself has veto power]
↑Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Arab Republic of Egypt (21 January 2026). "مصر ترحب بالدعوة للانضمام لمجلس السلام"[Egypt has welcomed the invitation to join the Board of Peace]. www.mfa.gov.eg (in Arabic). Retrieved 21 January 2026.
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