The "Board of Peace" is the new diplomatic structure promoted by Donald Trump, made official on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos. According to the White House and working documents consulted by Reuters, the body is presented as a mechanism called on to "promote peace" and coordinate mediation, post-conflict security and reconstruction - initially in Gaza, then eventually on other international crises.
From the Luxembourg side, the line taken at Davos is one of distancing oneself. The Prime Minister, Luc Frieden, indicated that Luxembourg had not received any invitations and that, in any case, it was giving preference to existing multilateral organisations. In the same political sequence, the Prime Minister also noted that, among European leaders, many did not consider the initiative "constructive", while reiterating that peace in Gaza remained a "desirable" objective.
On paper, the "Board of Peace" follows on from UN Security Council Resolution 2803 (17 November 2025), which welcomed the establishment of a transitional administration and authorised a temporary international stabilisation force in Gaza, with regular reporting to the Security Council. In practice, however, the architecture proposed by Washington and the content of the draft charter immediately drew criticism for the concentration of power. An internal EU document, revealed by Reuters, refers to concerns about the "concentration of power" in the hands of the US president and says the charter "deviates significantly" from the original UN mandate, which was supposed to be strictly focused on Gaza.
The question of membership is at the heart of the debate, as the mechanism is intended to be both political and operational. Reuters reports that around 50 invitations have been sent out and that a US official spoke of around thirty leaders already "committed" to joining the initiative at this stage. The countries cited as having accepted or committed include Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, Qatar and Egypt, as well as Turkey and Hungary. And, according to Reuters, Morocco, Pakistan, Indonesia, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Paraguay and Vietnam, as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan - not forgetting Belarus, which is considered more controversial in Europe. Conversely, several European capitals have publicly distanced themselves: Spain has announced that it will not be joining the scheme, in the name of multilateralism and support for the United Nations system.
In Davos, Donald Trump defended an organisation that he wants to be agile and expandable. Reuters reports that the charter provides for terms of office that are limited in time, with an option of "permanence" conditional on a very high financial contribution, and that the US President has powers of veto and revocation of membership - elements which, on the European side, are fuelling the trial of a "tailor-made institution". A narrative widely echoed by observers who see it less as an extension of the UN framework than as a parallel political tool.
The project is also based on an "Executive Board" (a tightened core) and a structure dedicated to Gaza. The White House has provided a list of founding members of the Executive Board, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as Marc Rowan (Apollo), Ajay Banga (World Bank) and Robert Gabriel. Reuters confirms this backbone and points out that the detailed division of responsibilities remains unclear, as does the exact relationship with the UN and other international organisations.
Why, then, is Luxembourg insisting on its non-alignment with this format? Firstly because, for a small state that has made international law and multilateralism a hallmark of its foreign policy, the idea of a highly personalised body, steered by a single leader, is as much a question of method as of substance. Secondly, because the EU itself is moving cautiously: European Council President Antonio Costa has publicly referred to "serious doubts" about the scope, governance and compatibility of the charter with the UN Charter, while saying the EU is ready to work on implementing the Gaza plan if the mechanism remains compliant with Resolution 2803.
