Board of Peace


The Board of Peace is a United States government-led organization established by Donald Trump for the stated purpose of promoting peacekeeping around the world. It is named in United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 as a body tasked with overseeing the processes of the Gaza peace plan. The board was proposed in September 2025 and formally established on the sidelines of the 56th World Economic Forum in January 2026.
Resolution 2803 welcomed the board to aid with reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip, via the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, and authorized it to deploy a temporary peacekeeping force. 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 to the organization to renew their membership after the first three years., 25 of the 62 invited countries have signed the board's charter, but it has failed to gain support in the European Union. Few national leaders have publicly accepted Trump's invitations, nor said that they have paid for membership.
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. 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", while France has voiced concern that it seeks to usurp the role of the United Nations. Trump has said that the BoP "might" replace the United Nations and defended its reputation.

Background

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. 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. Former British prime minister Tony Blair initially proposed placing the Gaza Strip under international administration in August 2025. 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.
The United Nations Security Council adopted United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803 on 17 November 2025 welcoming the establishment of the BoP. Resolution 2803 authorized the board to deploy a International Stabilization Force to the Gaza Strip. The US Congress played no role in authorizing the project, and it was described by an MS NOW opinion writer as the latest in a series of attempted power grabs by Trump.
Following the entry into force of the Gaza peace agreement two days earlier, Tony Blair met the Vice President of Palestine, Hussein al-Sheikh, on 12 October 2025 in Jordan to discuss the reconstruction in the Gaza Strip. That evening, Trump declared "the war is over" and that the BoP would be formed quickly.

History

In early January 2026, it was reported that former United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nikolay Mladenov, had been chosen to serve as BoP director-general. Mladenov subsequently held meetings with al-Sheikh and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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.
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.
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."
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. Milei posted on X that he thanked Trump for the invitation, calling it an "honor" and reaffirming that Argentina "stand with the countries" that "confront terrorism head-on" and "defend life and property". Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney were also invited by Trump, with Carney confirming his participation. ‪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.‬
On 20 January 2026, Trump referenced the "Board of Peace", citing that "the United Nations never helped " as a reason for its existence and claiming that it "might" replace the UN.
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. 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.

Structure

The charter of the BoP outlines a multi-level structure for the organization, which includes:
  • Donald Trump, designated as chairman for life.
  • 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. Trump's chairmanship is independent of his presidency of the United States, and he has indicated that he wants to remain chairman for life.

Membership

Around 60 countries received invitations to join the BoP from Trump. 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 into a fund controlled by Trump; otherwise, each country serves a three-year term which may be renewed at his discretion.

Invitation accepted

The following states signed the charter of the BoP on 22 January 2026 and became founding members:
The following states expressed an intent to accept their invitations to the BoP:

Other invitees

The European Union and the following states were invited to the BoP, but did not respond prior to its inaugural meeting on 22 January 2026:
The following state received an invitation that was subsequently rescinded:
The following states declined Trump's invitation to participate:

BoP Executive Board

The members of the BoP Executive Board were announced on 17 January 2026. They are:
A Gaza Executive Board supports the High Representative for Gaza and the NCAG. Its members, also announced on 17 January 2026, are:
According to the BoP's charter, the Government of the United States serves as its official depository. In late January 2026, Trump designated the headquarters of the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. as the seat of the board.

Symbols

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.
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". 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".