The editorial team of Kaktus.media has gathered information about this new body, who was invited, and how world leaders reacted to these invitations.
What is the "Board of Peace"
On January 16, Donald Trump announced the creation of the "Board of Peace," which is intended to function as an international structure overseeing the implementation of agreements in the Gaza Strip. The UN has expressed support for this initiative, but it soon became clear that Trump plans to extend the board's influence to other conflict regions.Structure and Functions of the Organization
According to Bloomberg, the organizers have already prepared a charter and sent it out along with invitations. It states that the main task of the board is to "ensure sustainable peace" in conflict zones.According to information from the White House, the "Board of Peace" will operate two committees:
"The Founding Executive Committee" will handle high-level diplomatic contacts and investments.
"The Executive Committee for Gaza" will oversee the activities of the National Committee for Gaza Management, which will focus on the region's reconstruction.
Each participating country will have one vote in the voting process, decisions will be made by a majority vote, but will only take effect with the approval of the chairperson—Donald Trump. Regular votes are to be held at least once a year, and meetings without voting at least once a quarter.
Leadership Composition
On January 16, the White House announced the composition of the executive board. It includes:- Donald Trump — chairperson;
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio;
- Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Whitcoff;
- Entrepreneur Jared Kushner;
- Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair;
- Entrepreneur Mark Rowan;
- World Bank President Ajay Banga;
- Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel;
- Senior Advisors Josh Grünbaum and Arye Lightstone;
- High Representative for Gaza — Bulgarian diplomat Nikolay Mladenov.
According to Reuters, the charter of the board states that Trump will hold the position of chairperson for life, even if he leaves the presidency of the United States.
Conditions for Participation
According to the charter, only the chairperson has the right to invite countries to join the board. To become a permanent member, a country must contribute one billion dollars within the first year, and these funds will be directed towards the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. Temporary membership is granted free of charge for three years, with the possibility of extension at the chairperson's discretion.Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko denied the information about the need for a $1 billion contribution to participate in the "Board of Peace."
Invited Countries
The list of invited countries has not yet been made public. However, Bloomberg reports that invitations were sent to representatives of the European Commission and 49 countries, including Australia, Austria, Albania, Argentina, Armenia, Bahrain, Belarus, Brazil, the UK, Hungary, Vietnam, Germany, Greece, Egypt, Israel, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Canada, Qatar, Cyprus, China, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, the UAE, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovenia, Thailand, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Finland, France, Switzerland, Sweden, South Korea, and Japan.According to Axios, the list includes leaders from 58 countries, including representatives from the European Commission and nearly 50 heads of state from Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region.
Leaders of China and Azerbaijan have also confirmed receipt of invitations.
Who Has Already Agreed
According to open sources, the following have accepted the invitation:- Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama;
- President of Argentina Javier Milei;
- Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán;
- President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev;
- President of Paraguay Santiago Peña;
- President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko;
- General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam;
- Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan;
- President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev;
- President of the UAE Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan; President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev;
- Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Financial Times also reports that most countries have decided not to participate in this initiative, one reason being competition with existing international organizations. It is also mentioned that the invitation to Putin may have influenced the decisions of other states.
In Russia, it was noted that they are studying the proposal and hope for further contacts with the U.S. The Financial Times suggests that the invitation to Russia is related to Trump's intention to maintain dialogue with Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also confirmed receipt of an invitation to the "Board of Peace," but noted that Ukraine's participation in the same board with Russia and Belarus raises doubts for him. However, he did not specify whether he would accept the invitation.
The Role of the UN in the Context of the Board
In the preamble of the charter of the "Board of Peace," it is stated that to achieve sustainable peace, it is necessary to abandon ineffective approaches and institutions. Although the UN is not mentioned directly, Trump has repeatedly criticized this organization, calling it ineffective, notes DW.The United Nations was founded in 1945 by the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition, and an important role in its creation was played by U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Currently, the UN includes 193 member states.
A UN resolution adopted in 2025 granted the "Board of Peace" a mandate solely for the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. If the board begins to perform additional functions without appropriate mandates, this could lead to competition with the UN. The possibility of the board's successful operation will depend on the number of states that join it.
The Trump administration has already cut funding for various UN departments. On January 7, Trump signed a memorandum withdrawing the U.S. from 31 organizations within the UN that, in his opinion, do not align with the country's interests.
