NEW DELHI: India was among the notable absentees when US President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled his proposed “Board of Peace” on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, an initiative Washington is projecting as a new international body to help cement the fragile Gaza ceasefire and potentially address conflicts elsewhere.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among several global leaders invited to join the board, but New Delhi has yet to take a decision.
“India is considering various aspects as the initiative involves sensitive issues. We are examining the invite,” sources familiar with the matter said.
Unveiling the plan, the US president said the board could become “one of the most consequential bodies ever created”, adding that he was “honoured” to chair it. “Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do. And we’ll do it in conjunction with the United Nations,” Trump said, while arguing that the UN’s “great potential” had not been fully utilised.
The announcement, made during a signing ceremony in the Swiss mountain resort, drew a mixed global response.
Regional Middle East powers such as Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, along with Indonesia and Pakistan, joined the board. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was also present.
However, several major global powers and traditional Western US allies, including France, the United Kingdom, Germany, China and Italy, skipped the ceremony.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the board’s immediate focus would be Gaza. “The priority is making sure the plan for peace in Gaza is fulfilled, but it can also serve as an example of what’s possible in other parts of the world,” he said.
Trump suggested the board’s mandate could extend well beyond Gaza, prompting concerns that it could undercut the UN’s role as the primary forum for global diplomacy and conflict resolution.
The board’s charter describes it as “an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict”, arguing that durable peace requires “the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed.”
At the ceremony, Trump expressed confidence that progress was imminent on multiple fronts.
“I believe another settlement is coming very soon,” he said, before turning to the Ukraine war, adding: “The one I thought was going to be an easy one has turned out to be probably the most difficult.”
He also thanked those in attendance, including former UK prime minister Tony Blair. “Thank you Tony for being here, we appreciate it. It is running beautifully… just about every country wants to be a part of it,” Trump said.
The White House has already announced a founding executive board to operationalise the initiative. It includes Rubio, Blair, US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, World Bank President Ajay Banga, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan and US national security adviser Robert Gabriel.
Countries that have formally joined the Board of Peace include Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE and Uzbekistan.
Several others — among them Germany, Italy, Russia, Slovenia, Ukraine and Türkiye — have indicated they are still weighing the proposal.