Trump’s plan broadens beyond Gaza, prompting pushback

President Donald Trump’s latest attempt to build a “Board of Peace” with leaders to oversee the Gaza ceasefire’s next phases has met resistance from major powers, according to the Associated Press. The AP reported that the board effort, described as an effort to sidestep the United Nations, has drawn some support for the UN while countries rejected U.S. moves to give the board a larger international mandate beyond Gaza.

The board was initially envisioned as a small group of world leaders overseeing Gaza’s future, the AP reported. Instead, the charter and U.S. promotion framed the board as a mediator of worldwide conflicts—an approach that the AP said was perceived as a way to eclipse the UN Security Council, the body charged with ensuring international peace and security.

Charter provisions and U.S. messaging

The AP said the board charter raised concerns by stating that Trump would lead the board until he resigns, with veto power over actions and membership. In response to concerns, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a congressional hearing that the board is not a substitute for the UN.

“This is not a replacement for the U.N., but the U.N. has served very little purpose in the case of Gaza other than the food assistance,” Rubio said at the hearing, according to the AP. The AP reported that despite that framing, U.N. officials dismissed the idea floated by Trump’s promotion that the board “might” replace the UN.

UN Secretary-General warns about binding decisions

At the UN, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the responsibility for international peace and security lies with the UN and the Security Council. “In my opinion, the basic responsibility for international peace and security lies with U.N., lies with the Security Council,” Guterres said, the AP reported.

He added that only the Security Council can adopt binding decisions, and that no other body or coalition can be legally required to secure compliance. “Only the Security Council can adopt decisions binding on all, and no other body or other coalition can legally be required to have all member states to comply with decisions on peace and security,” Guterres said, according to the AP.

Allies and adversaries dismiss the broader mandate

In Security Council statements, public speeches and even private meetings, the AP reported that countries—both U.S. allies and adversaries—dismissed Trump’s plan as a bid to overturn the post-World War II international order.

International Crisis Group program director Richard Gowan said the broader charter turned the effort into a liability. “The U.S. rollout of the much broader Board of Peace charter turned the whole exercise into a liability,” Gowan said, according to the AP. He added: “Countries that wanted to sign on to help Gaza saw the board turning into a Trump fan club. That was not appealing.”

Gowan said focusing the board solely on Gaza would likely have attracted more participation. “If Trump had kept the focus of the board solely on Gaza, more states, including some more Europeans, would have signed up,” he said, per the AP.

Which countries have refused or stayed away

The AP reported that China, France, Russia and the United Kingdom—the four veto-wielding Security Council members—have refused or have not indicated whether they would join. It also said economic powers such as Japan and Germany have refused or not indicated whether they would join.

The AP tied the board invitations in part to diplomatic friction involving Trump’s comments about Greenland and European countries. It said letters inviting leaders to be “founding members” came as Trump vowed to take over Greenland and punish some European countries that resisted, prompting rebuttals from Canada, Denmark and others. It also reported that Trump later reversed course on Greenland, saying he had agreed with the NATO secretary-general on a “framework of a future deal” on Arctic security.

Starmer reiterates UK support for the UN

The AP said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, after not responding to Trump’s board invitation at the time, met with Guterres in London and reiterated the UK’s support for the UN and the international rules-based system, according to a statement. Starmer emphasized the UN’s “pivotal role in tackling global problems which shape lives in the UK and all over the world,” the AP reported.

The AP also reported that the UK declined to take part in Trump’s signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, but had not yet officially responded to the board invitation.

France, Spain and other countries cited UN concerns

France, Spain and Slovenia declined the board offer, the AP reported, with concerns including overlapping and potentially conflicting agendas with the UN. The AP cited a warning from French President Emmanuel Macron that the board goes beyond Gaza and raises serious questions about UN principles and structure that “cannot be called into question.”

On Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain would not join because the board excluded the Palestinian Authority and because it was “outside the framework of the United Nations,” the AP reported.

China’s envoy urges strengthening the UN instead of bypassing it

China’s ambassador to the UN, Fu Cong, told the Security Council that no country should dictate terms based on its power. “No single country should dictate terms based on its power, and a winner-takes-all approach is unacceptable,” Fu Cong said at a meeting Monday, according to the AP.

He called for strengthening, not weakening, the UN and said the Security Council’s status and role are “irreplaceable.” The AP reported that Fu also made a direct reference to the board, saying, “We shall not cherry-pick our commitments to the organization, nor shall we bypass the U.N. and create alternative mechanisms.”

Numbers on participation and further statements

The AP reported that about 26 of some 60 invited countries have joined the board, and that about nine European countries have declined. It said India did not attend Trump’s signing ceremony at Davos but was reportedly still deciding, and that Trump revoked Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s invitation.

Human Rights Watch U.N. director Louis Charbonneau said it was not surprising that very few governments wanted to join. “It’s hardly surprising that very few governments want to join Trump’s wannabe-U.N., which so far looks more like a pay-to-play club of human rights abusers and war crimes suspects than a serious international organization,” he said, according to the AP.

Charbonneau added that governments should focus on strengthening the UN instead of paying to join the board. “Instead of handing Trump $1 billion checks to join his Board of Peace, governments should work on strengthening the U.N.” he said, per the AP.

Joint statements and uncertainty about long-term impact

The AP reported that eight Muslim nations issued a joint statement supporting the board’s mission in Gaza and advancement of Palestinian statehood, listing Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Indonesia, Pakistan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. It also reported that those countries made no mention of Trump’s global peacemaking plan in the statement.

Gowan said some countries may treat the board as a way to get a foothold in discussions of Gaza at the start. He said he remained unconvinced the board posed a long-term threat to the UN. “I remain unconvinced that this is a real long-term threat to the U.N.,” Gowan said, according to the AP.

Correction: In a story published Jan. 29, 2026, the AP said it should have made clear that the UK declined to take part in Trump’s signing ceremony in Davos, Switzerland, and expressed concerns about it but had not yet officially responded to the board invitation.