US President Donald Trump has secured the participation of 11 countries in his proposed “Board of Peace”, a body initially envisioned to oversee a ceasefire in Gaza and the reconstruction of the war-ravaged territory following the conflict between Hamas and Israel. Notably, India—and every permanent member of the UN Security Council except the US itself—has so far stayed out of the initiative.
Beyond Washington, no member of the G7 grouping has joined the self-styled board, whose mandate has since expanded well beyond Gaza to include the resolution of a wide range of global conflicts. This broadening scope has fuelled questions about Trump’s ambition to position the Board of Peace as a potential rival to the United Nations.
What we know about India’s absence
India was among around 60 countries invited last week to join the Board of Peace, according to an earlier HT report citing people familiar with the matter. However, no Indian officials attended the signing ceremony held at a Swiss mountain resort on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The sources said New Delhi has yet to take a decision on whether to join the body. While India is closely watching the positions adopted by key partners, including France and Russia, there are concerns that the Board of Peace could ultimately undermine the United Nations. There is also unease over Trump’s proposal to remain chairman of the board indefinitely.
Presiding over the signing ceremony in Davos, Trump claimed credit for having ended eight wars in nine months, including the military confrontation between India and Pakistan in May last year.
With Pakistan among the countries represented at the ceremony, Trump said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had praised him for saving millions of lives. Trump claimed Sharif had credited him with preventing a catastrophic escalation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
No mention of Gaza in the charter
Despite its origins, Gaza does not feature in the Board of Peace’s official charter. Instead, the document grants the body a sweeping mandate to promote stability and ensure “enduring peace” in conflict-affected regions—language that critics say could challenge or dilute the role of existing international institutions involved in conflict resolution and global governance.
Trump suggested the board’s remit could extend far beyond Gaza once it was fully operational. “I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza… We can do numerous other things. Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do,” he said.
While Trump said the board could work alongside the UN, he also asserted that the world body played no role in the eight conflicts he claimed to have stopped, including the India-Pakistan standoff.
India has consistently rejected Trump’s assertions, maintaining that the hostilities ended after four days following an understanding reached between senior military officials of both countries.
The Board of Peace was formally launched with signatures from the heads of state or government of 11 countries—Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, and Uzbekistan. Senior officials from eight other countries—Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE, and Mongolia—also endorsed the documents.
