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DONALD TRUMP IS set to unveil his new so-called ‘Board of Peace’ in Davos today, after he rolled back on his threats to impose tariffs on several European countries if they opposed his plans to take over Greenland.
The US President is also set to hold a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum today.
Trump abruptly announced last night that he was scrapping tariffs against Europe and ruling out taking Greenland from Denmark by force, partially defusing a crisis which had shaken the meeting of global elites.
On his second day at the Swiss ski resort, he will seek to promote the ‘Board of Peace’ with a signing ceremony for the organisation’s charter.
Here’s what we know about it so far.
The organisation was first mentioned as part of Trump’s 20-point peace plan for a ceasefire in Gaza last September.
The plan said the board would “set the framework and handle the funding for the redevelopment of Gaza” until the Palestinian Authority had reformed.
However, its charter does not limit its role to Gaza. It describes the board as “international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict”.
It will “undertake such peace-building functions in accordance with international law”, it adds.
Trump will be chairman but also “separately serve” as representative of the US.
“The chairman shall have exclusive authority to create, modify or dissolve subsidiary entities as necessary or appropriate to fulfil the Board of Peace’s mission,” a draft of the charter reads.
It also says the chairman can be replaced only in case of “voluntary resignation or as a result of incapacity”.
The board will also have a “founding Executive Board” to implement the board’s mission.
Trump has appointed former UK prime minister Tony Blair, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner to the executive board.
The other appointees are World Bank President Ajay Banga, an Indian-born American businessman; billionaire US financier Marc Rowan; and Robert Gabriel, a loyal Trump aide who serves on the National Security Council.
Member states must be invited by the US President and will be represented by their head of state or government.
Trump has invited around 50 world leaders to join the board, including allies and adversaries. According to the White House, around 35 have taken up the offer so far.
The Kremlin said Russia’s Vladimir Putin is still studying his invitation, while Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to join.
Albania, Armenia, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belarus, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates have all accepted the invitation.
Hungary is the only EU nation that has agreed to join so far.
Some leaders might be put off by the price tag attached.
For the first three years, countries can sit on the board for free. But a permanent seat on the board,will cost $1 billion “within the first year of the charter’s entry into force”, it states.
So far, France, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Slovenia have all confirmed they will not join the board.
Other countries are still mulling over the invites, amid concerns that Trump wants his board to rival the United Nations.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman said Beijing would defend the international system with the United Nations “at its core”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said it would be “very hard” to be a member of a council alongside Russia, and diplomats were “working on it”.
The UK echoed the sentiment, with British foreign secretary Yvette Cooper saying they have “concerns” about Putin’s potential involvement amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Italy’s Giorgia Meloni, seen as one of Trump’s biggest allies in the EU, told the state broadcaster RAI that her country is interested in membership but will not immediately join due to constitutional
A Vatican spokesperson confirmed Pope Leo XIV has been invited and is taking time to consider a response.
Earlier this week, Foreign Affairs Minister Helen McEntee confirmed Ireland had been invited to join the board, but said: “We will need to give this careful consideration.”
McEntee said the US-organised board “would have a mandate wider than the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan”.
“The United Nations has a unique mandate to maintain international peace and security, and the legitimacy to bring nations together to find common solutions to shared challenges,” she said.
“While it may be imperfect, the UN and the primacy of international law is more important now than ever. Ireland’s commitment to the UN and the primacy of the UN Charter is without question.”
With reporting from © AFP 2026
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