ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the charter for the Board of Peace (BoP) on Thursday at a ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, establishing an international body to resolve conflicts that he pledged would work "in conjunction" with the United Nations.
The signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum formalized the organization with roughly 35 countries committing to join. Membership carries a $1 billion permanent fee.
During his speech, Trump characterized the day as "very exciting" and "long in the making." He stated that the world is "richer, safer, and much more peaceful" than a year ago, claiming credit for "settling eight wars."
The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza. However, a draft of the charter does not appear to limit its role to the Palestinian territory.
"Congratulations President Trump, the charter is now in full force, and the board of peace is now an official international organization," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, according to AFP.
Trump addressed concerns about the organization rivaling the United Nations, stating he wanted the board to work "in conjunction" with the UN. He did criticize the UN for failing to live up to its potential.
Board of Peace members
A senior White House official said on Wednesday that about 35 world leaders have committed to joining the Board of Peace out of roughly 50 invitations sent. These include Middle East allies such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar, and Egypt.
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members Turkey and Hungary have also agreed to take part, as have Morocco, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Paraguay and Vietnam.
The organization was formally authorized by UN Security Council Resolution 2803 in November 2025 for Gaza-specific operations, though the UN considers it an external initiative rather than part of the multilateral UN system.
Executive council
The founding executive council sits at the top of the Board of Peace with Trump as chairman. Its members are former British prime minister, Tony Blair, Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, the CEO of financial firm Apollo Global Management, Marc Rowan, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga, and Robert Gabriel, a US deputy national security adviser.
Trump will serve as chairman for life with exclusive authority to adopt resolutions and modify subsidiary entities. The charter grants him final approval on all board decisions.
Meanwhile, the Palestinians are missing from this Board of Peace. Nickolay Mladenov serves as the High Representative for Gaza, acting as a liaison between the organization and local administrators.
Push back
Multiple Arab and Muslim states have objected to Blair's involvement after his institute was involved in developing "day-after" plans for Gaza, alongside Israeli business figures, that included a coastal "Trump Riviera" resort.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has said the UK will opt out of signing the Board of Peace in Davos, joining a growing list of refusals that includes France, Norway, Sweden and Slovenia. Cooper cited concerns over Russian involvement.
Russia, meanwhile, expressed interest in using frozen assets to pay the membership fee, but has not formally joined. Canada considered joining with conditions, but ruled out the $1 billion payment.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)