US President Donald Trump will showed off his new “Board of Peace” at Davos on January 22, burnishing his claim to be a peacemaker a day after backing off his own threats against Greenland. US President Donald Trump kicked off his new “Board of Peace” at Davos on Thursday, with a signing ceremony for a body with a $1 billion (R16.2bn) membership fee and a controversial list of invitees. A group of leaders and senior officials from 19 countries — including Trump allies from Argentina and Hungary — gathered on stage with Trump to put their names to the founding charter of the body.
Originally meant to oversee peace in Gaza after the war between Hamas and Israel, the board’s charter envisions a wider role in resolving international conflicts, sparking concerns that Trump wants it to rival the United Nations. Trump, however, said the organisation would work “in conjunction” with the UN. The Board of Peace’s potential membership has, however, proved controversial, with Trump having invited Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump said Putin had agreed to join, while the Russian leader said he was still studying the invitation. Permanent members must also pay $1 billion to join, leading to criticisms that the board could become a “pay to play” version of the UN Security Council. Key US allies, including France and Britain, have expressed scepticism, with the UK saying Thursday it would not attend the ceremony.
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The members on stage largely held close ties to Trump, including Hungary’s Viktor Orban and Argentina’s Javier Milei, or a wish to show their allegiance to the US president. Officials from Bahrain, Morocco, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Mongolia also signed the document with Trump. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over the war in Gaza, has said he will join but was not at the ceremony.
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