 after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the founding charter at Davos.){kind=link}
ISLAMABAD, Jan 22 (ABC): Pakistan has formally joined US President Donald Trump’s newly launched Board of Peace (BoP) after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif signed the founding charter at Davos on Thursday.
The ceremony was held on the sidelines of the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum, where leaders and senior officials from 19 countries gathered on stage with President Trump to endorse the new body. Trump, who will serve as chairman of the Board of Peace, was the first to sign the charter.
Pakistan had received a formal invitation from President Trump to join the board, which was later accepted by Islamabad.
Addressing the gathering, Trump said the board comprised leaders who were “in most cases very popular, in some cases not so popular,” adding that this was “the way it goes in life.”
Originally conceived to oversee peace arrangements in Gaza following the war between Hamas and Israel, the board’s charter outlines a broader mandate to help resolve international conflicts. This expanded scope has prompted concerns that the body could rival the United Nations, a suggestion Trump rejected, saying the board would work “in conjunction” with the UN rather than replace it.
The initiative has also drawn controversy over its proposed membership. Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin had agreed to join the board, though Moscow later said the invitation was still under consideration. Under the charter, permanent members are required to contribute $1 billion, fuelling criticism that the board could become a “pay-to-play” alternative to the UN Security Council.
Several key US allies declined to participate. Britain and France both expressed scepticism, with the UK saying it would not attend the signing ceremony.
Leaders and officials who signed the charter alongside Trump included representatives from Hungary and Argentina, as well as Bahrain, Morocco, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Mongolia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has said he intends to join the board, did not attend the ceremony.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the event that the board’s immediate priority was to ensure that any Gaza peace deal becomes durable. Trump, however, warned that Hamas must disarm under the next phase of the ceasefire, or it would be “the end of them.”
The launch of the Board of Peace comes amid Trump’s long-stated frustration at not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, despite his claims of having resolved multiple international conflicts.