Washington: Countries in US President Donald Trump's newly created Board of Peace can secure a seat for an indefinite period if they contribute $1 billion to the budget within a year, according to the draft charter published by the Times of Israel. The Israeli daily published the draft charter in full on Sunday.
According to Ghana News Agency, the 13 chapters also show that the US government aims to significantly expand the board's mandate beyond its current focus on pacifying and rebuilding the Gaza Strip. The draft indicates that the Council is to address crises and conflicts worldwide. Critics are already discussing potential competition with the United Nations, which Trump frequently criticizes as dysfunctional.
This criticism is echoed in the preamble, which asserts that 'durable peace requires pragmatic judgement, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed.' The document also highlights the necessity for 'a more nimble and effective international peace-building body.'
The board will initially concentrate on the Gaza conflict, according to the current concept. It is part of the second phase of Trump's peace plan for the Gaza Strip, which envisions a permanent end to the war and the disarmament of the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas, which Hamas rejects. The board is to oversee the new transitional government of the coastal strip.
Several heads of state and prime ministers have recently been invited by Trump to participate in the so-called Board of Peace. Invitations were sent to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Egyptian Head of State Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Argentine President Javier Milei, and Hungarian Prime Minister Orb¡n, among others.
The draft charter specifies that Trump will chair the council and that only heads of state and prime ministers invited by him can be members. Regular membership ends after three years unless countries pay $1 billion into the council's budget. Amendments to the document can be decided by a two-thirds majority of the members, with additional confirmation by the chair. It also states that the Board of Peace will dissolve at a time 'deemed necessary or appropriate by the chair.'