By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump’s newly formed “Board of Peace” on Wednesday announced 26 countries as founding members of the initiative, including Pakistan, as the body seeks to expand its role in global conflict resolution beyond its initial focus on Gaza.
The announcement came a week after Trump unveiled the initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, with the board launching an official account on the social media platform X to share the news.
A post on the account stated that the Board “welcomes Pakistan as a founding member of our growing international organisation.” The full list of founding members encompasses Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam. The group draws from regions across the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caucasus.
Major European powers such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom were notably absent from the roster, against a backdrop of ongoing tensions with Trump over issues including Greenland and tariff policies, which have frayed ties between Washington and several European capitals. Ukraine has raised questions about participating alongside Russia and Belarus, though Russia was not included in the board despite President Vladimir Putin’s statement that Moscow was prepared to contribute $1 billion from Russian assets frozen by the prior U.S. administration to the body’s budget. Belarus, however, accepted its invitation to join.
Trump revoked Canada’s invitation, pointing to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s address at the World Economic Forum, where Carney cautioned against economic coercion by major powers. Trump first announced the creation of the Board of Peace on Jan. 15 as an element of his comprehensive plan for Gaza, which facilitated a ceasefire agreement in the region. The board received authorization through United Nations Security Council Resolution 2803, adopted in November 2025.Initially designed to monitor the ceasefire and support Gaza’s reconstruction, the board’s charter broadens its scope to encompass peace-building efforts in any areas impacted by or vulnerable to conflict. Additional specifics regarding the board’s mandate, leadership framework and implementation schedule remain to be disclosed.
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