U.S. President Donald Trump, together with representatives of other member states, signed the charter of the Board of Peace and officially launched his controversial peace council. At a ceremony in Davos on Thursday, Trump declared that the world is a single region and that the Board of Peace would end decades of bloodshed and bring “eternal peace”. He also indicated that the council would seek cooperation with the United Nations to achieve success in crisis zones such as Gaza. Trump further claimed that the United States had enabled more development aid for the Gaza Strip than ever before, even though his administration had dramatically cut global development assistance.
Originally intended to supervise a transitional government in the Gaza Strip, the Board’s mandate may be broadened to address global crises and conflicts. Critics suspect Trump is creating a rival to the United Nations. Member states include Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Mongolia. From the European Union, only Hungary and Bulgaria participate, while other countries such as Germany and the United Kingdom have responded cautiously to the invitation.
