India was among some 60 countries that received invitations last week from Trump to join the Board of Peace
There was no Indian presence as US President Donald Trump on Thursday launched his Board of Peace, a body conceived for working for peace in Gaza but whose open-ended role in tackling global conflicts has given rise to concerns about the undermining of the United Nations. Thus far, no permanent member of the UN Security Council (other than the US) has joined the board, nor has any member of G7 (other than the US).
As Trump presided over a signing ceremony for the board on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, he again played up his role in purportedly ending eight wars in nine months, including the conflict between India and Pakistan last May. With Pakistan among 19 countries that joined the ceremony, Trump said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had praised him for saving millions of lives.
India was among some 60 countries that received invitations last week from Trump to join the Board of Peace and people familiar with the matter acknowledged that no Indian officials were present at the ceremony in the Swiss mountain resort. The Indian side is yet to make a decision on joining the board, they said.
The board’s official charter makes no mention of Gaza at all and instead outlines a sweeping mandate that could challenge or undermine existing international frameworks and institutions working for conflict resolution and global governance. The charter states the board will promote stability and secure enduring peace in areas affected by conflict, and Trump himself alluded that the body could take on other global crises after its work in Gaza.
“I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza,” Trump said. “We can do numerous other things. Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do.”
Trump noted that the Board of Peace could work in conjunction with the UN but made it clear that the world body had no role in the eight wars he had “stopped”, including the India-Pakistan conflict. “We’re very happy to stop the war that had started with India and Pakistan, two nuclear nations, and I was very honoured when the prime minister of Pakistan said President Trump saved 10 and maybe 20 million lives by getting that stopped just before bad things were going to happen,” he said.
India has rejected Trump’s claims of ending the conflict and said hostilities ended after four days of fighting when Indian and Pakistani military officials reached an understanding.
The documents for launching the board were signed by the heads of state or government of 11 countries — Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, and Uzbekistan — and senior officials of eight nations — Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE and Mongolia.
While the Indian side closely watched the positions taken by key partners – including France and Russia – there were concerns about the Board of Peace ultimately undermining the UN and Trump remaining as chairman of the body in perpetuity, the people said.
Pakistan’s presence in the board too was seen in some quarters as problematic. Besides Shehbaz Sharif, who signed the documents, the ceremony was attended by Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, whom the premier pointed out to Trump in the audience.
Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, a member of the executive board and also the Gaza executive board of the Board of Peace, outlined a development plan for Gaza but made no mention of a path towards a Palestinian state. The Gaza executive board is part of the second phase of an agreement between Israel and Hamas brokered by the US, and the first phase, the ceasefire in Gaza finalised last October, has been marred by violence. The second phase will also have to contend with crucial issues such as disarming Hamas and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.
