ISLAMABAD, Jan 29 (ABC): United States President Donald Trump has included Pakistan among the 26 founding members of the newly created “Board of Peace”, an international initiative linked to his Gaza plan.
The announcement came on Wednesday, one week after Trump introduced the initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Meanwhile, the board launched its official account on X and welcomed Pakistan as a founding member.
Wide range of countries included
Along with Pakistan, the founding group includes Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
In addition, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania and Bahrain have joined the initiative.
The list also includes Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Paraguay, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
Together, the members represent regions across Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Latin America and the Caucasus.
Major European states stay out
However, several major European countries did not join the board. These include France, Germany and the United Kingdom.
According to media reports, sharp disagreements with Trump over Greenland and tariff policies led to their absence. As a result, relations between Washington and several European capitals remain strained.
At the same time, Ukraine raised concerns about participation alongside Belarus. Russia does not appear on the list of members.
Russia excluded, Canada invitation withdrawn
Russia remained outside the initiative despite President Vladimir Putin’s offer to allocate $1 billion from frozen Russian assets to support the board.
In contrast, Trump withdrew Canada’s invitation earlier this month. He took the step after Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney warned against economic coercion during his Davos speech.
Board tied to Gaza ceasefire
Trump announced the creation of the Board of Peace on January 15 as part of his broader Gaza initiative. The plan later led to a ceasefire agreement.
The board received formal backing through Resolution 2803 adopted by the United Nations Security Council in November 2025.
Mandate extends beyond Gaza
Initially, the board aimed to oversee the Gaza ceasefire and reconstruction process.
Now, however, its charter expands the role to peace-building in regions affected by conflict or facing instability.
So far, the board has not released details about its leadership, structure or implementation timeline.