President Donald Trump Thursday, formally inaugurated the Board of Peace during a signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Speaking before a global audience, Trump declared the board would be “one of the most consequential bodies ever created in the history of the world,” asserting it would be able to “do pretty much whatever we want to do” once fully formed.
Trump emphasized that the initiative was “not the United States — this is for the world,” and said the board could eventually expand beyond Gaza to address other global conflicts, even as he pledged to work “in conjunction with the United Nations.”
"Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do. And we'll do it in conjunction with the United Nations," Trump said in a statement.
"This isn’t the United States, this is for the world," he added. "I think we can spread it out to other things as we succeed in Gaza."
Trump noted that most of the 59 leaders signed onto the deal are "very popular," but others were "not so popular."
"That's the way it goes," he said.
The Board of Peace was initially conceived as a mechanism to oversee the Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction but has evolved into a broader international body. It requires $1 billion in contributions for permanent membership, though officials stated this is voluntary.
Up to 25 countries have agreed to join, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Indonesia, Hungary, Morocco, Bahrain, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, and Argentina, while the UK, France, Norway, Sweden, and Slovenia have declined due to concerns over the board’s mandate, potential undermining of the UN, and the inclusion of leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Putin has indicated interest in contributing $1 billion from frozen Russian assets, pending U.S. approval, while Netanyahu agreed to join after initial criticism of the board’s Palestinian technocratic committee.
Trump’s son-in-law and senior White House adviser, Jared Kushner presented a detailed vision for Gaza’s future during the event Thursday. His slideshow outlined a plan to rebuild the war-torn territory using free market principles, with a focus on security and investment.
Key elements included:
- Demilitarization of Hamas as a prerequisite for reconstruction.
- Construction of 100,000 housing units in Rafah and development of “New Gaza,” featuring high-rise coastal towers.
- Division of Gaza into residential and coastal tourism mixed zones.
- Infrastructure rehabilitation of water, electricity, sewage, hospitals, and bakeries.
- A projected timeline for rapid urban development, citing regional examples where cities of two to three million people were built in three years.
Kushner also emphasized that “everyone wants to live peacefully” and called for a shift in mindset among regional actors. He was joined on stage by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US envoy Steve Witkoff, and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, among others, forming a “founding executive council” of the board.
Ali Shaath, head of a future technocratic Palestinian government based in Cairo, announced the Rafah border crossing will open in both directions next week, a key step in humanitarian access.
Critics of the board, including international relations scholars and European officials, argue it risks rendering the UN obsolete and creating a Trump-led global authority. The UN Security Council had previously endorsed elements of Trump’s 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan, but the board’s charter appears to diverge from UN principles.
The U.K. has yet to join the board because the legal treaty "brings up much broader issues," Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said.
"And we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine," Cooper told the BBC.
