U.S. President Donald Trump’s 'Board of Peace' will hold its first leaders’ meeting on Thursday (19 February) in Washington, D.C., launching an initiative aimed at stabilising Gaza and addressing global conflicts. It's drawn support from regional powers but refusals from several EU countries.
The Board of Peace was launched by U.S. President Donald Trump in late January as part of his 20-point Gaza peace framework.
Initially designed to oversee the stabilisation and reconstruction of Gaza following the October ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, the initiative was later broadened to address other global conflicts.
According to its draft charter, the Board is “an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict”.
Trump will serve as chair for life, with broad authority to convene meetings, appoint or remove executive members, veto decisions, and create or dissolve subsidiary bodies.
Membership terms are limited to three years unless members contribute $1 billion each in exchange for permanent status. It is not immediately clear how the buy-in fee would be used.
The Board’s first leaders’ meeting is scheduled for 19 February in Washington at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. Delegations from more than 20 countries, including several heads of state, are expected to attend.
The meeting will serve as both a strategy session on Gaza and a fundraising conference.
Trump announced that member states would pledge more than $5 billion for reconstruction and humanitarian work, and provide thousands of personnel for a UN-authorised stabilisation force and local policing.
The White House named several founding executive board members, including U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Israel has formally joined the Board, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signing accession documents during a visit to Washington. There is no Palestinian representation.
Other confirmed participants include Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye, Qatar, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, and several Central Asian and Balkan states.
Armenia and Azerbaijan, which reached a U.S.-brokered peace agreement last August after meeting Trump at the White House, have also joined.
Azerbaijan highlighted its participation as recognition of its role in promoting regional and global stability.
Several EU and Western allies have refused to join, citing governance concerns, overlapping mandates with the United Nations, and constitutional barriers.
Days ahead of the first meeting of the Board, the Vatican said it would not participate. Cardinal Pietro Parolin confirmed the decision, saying that efforts to handle crisis situations should be managed by the UN.
France, Spain, New Zealand and Germany have declined participation. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that Poland would not join for now but might reconsider.
Italy cannot formally join due to constitutional constraints but will participate as an observer, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said: “We were invited as an observer country and in our view it is a good solution regarding the problem of the war in the Middle East.”
The inclusion of Russia and Belarus has also contributed to caution among other Western nations. The UK is one such example. According to the Commons Library government site:
“The UK has not confirmed it will join the board, citing concerns about Russia’s potential membership and the board’s remit going beyond Gaza.”
The European Union has raised concerns about the Board’s structure, citing undue interference in member autonomy and deviation from the UN’s Gaza-focused mandate.
European Council President António Costa stressed the EU’s willingness to cooperate on Gaza, with the Board acting as a transitional administration in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (“Welcoming the comprehensive plan to end the Gaza conflict”).
UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasised that responsibility for international peace rests with the UN Security Council, warning that the Board’s global ambitions must not undermine multilateral legitimacy.
He said: “Despite all the hurdles, the United Nations is acting to give life to our shared values […] We are pushing for peace - just and sustainable peace rooted in international law.”
Trump criticised the UN for failing to fully support U.S.-led peace efforts, describing it as underutilised.
The Board’s launch comes amid a fragile ceasefire that took effect in October under the Trump-backed framework accepted by Israel and Hamas. Both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violations.
The next phase of the plan envisages Hamas’s disarmament, further Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and full deployment of the international stabilisation force.
Key elements remain unresolved. Hamas has previously rejected disarmament without the creation of an independent Palestinian state, while Israeli officials have signalled readiness to resume military action if weapons are not surrendered.
Supporters argue the Board could accelerate reconstruction and offer a decisive alternative to stalled multilateral diplomacy.
Critics warn that concentrated authority and high financial thresholds for permanent membership risk reshaping or fragmenting international peace structures.
The Washington meeting will test how many governments are willing to embrace a new U.S.-led framework for conflict resolution beyond Gaza.
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