The White House has asked countries to pay $1 billion for a permanent seat on a new “Board of Peace” chaired by U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a draft charter seen by AFP and shared with invitees. The body—initially framed as a vehicle to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction—would be empowered to address conflicts far beyond the Palestinian territory, positioning itself as an alternative to existing multilateral institutions.
Under the terms outlined in the charter, member states would be represented by their heads of state and serve three-year terms, renewable at the chairman’s discretion. Countries contributing more than $1 billion in the first year could secure longer participation. Membership would be by invitation only, with Trump wielding the authority to remove states from the board, subject to a two-thirds veto by other members. He would also name his successor as chair if he stepped down.
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Invitations have been extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, according to the document. The Kremlin confirmed Tuesday that Putin had been invited. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko “welcomed” an invitation, Minsk said, while Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev accepted and pledged to contribute to Middle East stability, his office said.
The plan envisions three tiers: a main board of states, a “Palestinian committee” of technocrats to govern Gaza, and a separate executive board with advisory responsibilities. The draft calls the Board of Peace “an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,” and urges the courage to depart from “approaches and institutions that have too often failed”—a clear swipe at the United Nations.
Trump has frequently criticized the UN and announced this month that the United States will withdraw from 66 international organizations and treaties, roughly half of them UN-affiliated, further sharpening the contrast with his proposed board.
France, invited to join, said it is reviewing the proposal but reaffirmed its commitment to the UN Charter, which it called the “cornerstone of effective multilateralism.” Ireland is also weighing the invitation. Foreign Minister Helen McEntee said the board’s initial Gaza focus “must remain the case because the situation there remains dire,” but warned its now “very wide remit” raises questions.
“We cannot, I believe, have a situation where we have another structure that mirrors [the UN Security Council], where one country essentially has most of the power in it. So we need to consider this. We need to look at this very carefully,” McEntee told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland program.
The Board of Peace began to take shape over the weekend as the leaders of Egypt, Turkey, Argentina and Canada were asked to join. Trump also named as members U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, senior U.S. negotiator Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Israel has objected to the proposed lineup of a Gaza executive board under the new structure, which includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi, according to people briefed on the exchanges.
The draft charter stipulates that each member state’s participation is “subject to renewal by the chairman,” reflecting a centralized governance model likely to fuel debate about legitimacy and accountability. With its billion-dollar path to extended tenure and expansive scope, the initiative is already testing diplomatic fault lines between governments seeking faster, more hard-edged crisis management and those intent on preserving the primacy of the UN system.
As capitals examine the fine print, the immediate questions center on authority, financing and how the board would operate alongside—or in competition with—existing bodies charged with international peace and security.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
