Trump says Board of Peace established to oversee reconstruction of Gaza ‘might’ replace the United Nations
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President Donald Trump’s suggestion Tuesday that his Board of Peace “might” replace the United Nations is likely to compound concerns that the body meant to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza – and that he will indefinitely chair – will instead become a vehicle for him to attempt to supersede the body established 80 years ago to maintain global peace.
Before Trump’s comments, some diplomats already had myriad concerns over the board’s possible membership, and the fact a permanent seat is up for sale at $1 billion. They come as Trump heads to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and as he faces mounting anger from NATO members over his insistence that the US should own Greenland.
The White House on Friday announced a “founding Executive Board,” including Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, special envoy Steve Witkoff and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
And according to the charter draft, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, Trump will serve as indefinite chairman of the board, which could last beyond the duration of his second term as president. Trump will be replaced only due to “voluntary resignation or as a result of incapacity, as determined by a unanimous vote of the Executive Board.” A future US president can appoint or designate the US representative to the board in addition to Trump, a US official said.
Trump has sent invitations in recent days to dozens of countries to join and is expected to host a signing ceremony in Davos this week, sources said.
Questions remain about which countries will actually join the board. Although some, such as the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, have confirmed their participation, others have yet to commit – and some, such as France, have declined.
Russia and China invited
Russia is among the nations invited to join – raising alarm about how a country actively waging war could be involved in an effort to secure peace. China and Belarus have also been invited.
“Putin would certainly use Russia’s membership on the Board of Peace to undermine the UN and, by extension, sow further divisions in America’s alliances,” said Robert Wood, a former deputy US ambassador to the UN.
“Putin is not a man of peace, and I don’t think he belongs in any organization with peace in the name,” British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said Tuesday.
And there are major concerns among some officials that the Board’s broad charter is an attempt to replace the work of the UN – an organization Trump has consistently berated. The charter draft, which was sent along with the invitations to join, does not even reference Gaza.
The charter describes the Board of Peace as “an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
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