The inaugural meeting of U.S. President Donald Trump's controversial Board of Peace concluded Thursday amid widespread international skepticism, with all four other UN Security Council permanent members – China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France – notably absent. The initiative, launched last month at Davos, faced additional setbacks as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and leaders from Germany, Sweden, and Norway declined participation.
French officials expressed surprise at the European Commission's decision to send a representative without formal EU authorization, calling for urgent clarification. Norway's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ane Jorem reiterated: "Our position of non-participation remains unshakable."
Controversy deepened as details emerged about the board's $1 billion minimum donation requirement for permanent membership, with critics calling it a "commercialization of global governance." While Trump pledged $10 billion in U.S. funding during the meeting, no audit mechanisms were established for financial oversight.
Security analysts question the initiative's effectiveness. Aaron David Miller of the Carnegie Endowment noted: "This creates motion without addressing Gaza's governance or humanitarian needs." The board's expanded mandate to address global conflicts beyond Gaza has further raised concerns about undermining UN authority.
With key Middle Eastern stakeholders like Palestine abstaining and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu sending only his foreign minister, the meeting concluded without clear action plans for its stated Gaza reconstruction goals.
