- US President Trump announced the first charter of his Board of Peace for conflict resolution
- The Board was initially focused on Gaza but has expanded to address global conflicts
- Leaders from over a dozen countries, including Pakistan, supported the initiative
US President Donald Trump formally announced the first charter of his 'Board of Peace', which is a body for resolving international conflicts and has a $1 billion price tag for permanent membership. The board was originally conceived to oversee the reconstruction and governance of Gaza following the Israel-Palestine war, it has since expanded to resolving global conflicts.
Presidents, prime ministers, and top diplomats from more than a dozen countries are there to tout his international "Board of Peace" at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Among the heads of government are Argentina President Javier Milei, Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto, Paraguay's conservative President Santiago Pena, Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.
In his opening remarks, Trump claimed that "everybody" wants to be a part of the Board of Peace and said that he will continue to "work with many others, including the United Nations."
“I think the combination of the Board of Peace with the kind of people we have here, coupled with the United Nations, can be something very, very unique for the world,” Trump said. He has previously described the newly formed body as potentially the "most prestigious board ever formed".
He also said the board will start with a focus on Gaza but then look globally.
"I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza... we're going to be very successful in Gaza," the US President declared, adding, "We can do numerous other things. Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do."
Trump said that the Gaza war is "really coming to an end", but that "little fires" are yet to be put out. He warned that Hamas must disarm or it will be the 'end of them' and said that the last body of a hostage must be returned to Israel.
"They have to give up their weapons, and if they don't do that, it's going to be the end of them," Trump said, adding that the Islamist group "were born with rifles in their hands."
Trump repeated his claim of having settled eight wars and suggested that he will end the Russia-Ukraine war too. "Another one's coming pretty soon," he said.
India is yet to take a call on Trump's invitation to be part of the Board of Peace, per a PTI report. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the numerous global leaders that Trump has invited to join the Board.
