By Obinna Uballa
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has proposed charging countries up to $1 billion for permanent membership of a new international body dubbed the “Board of Peace,” according to a draft charter obtained by AFP.
Under the proposal, countries invited by Trump would be required to pay the fee to secure long-term membership on the board, which is intended to address conflicts and post-war governance in volatile regions. The body would be chaired by Trump himself.
The charter states that member countries, represented by their heads of state, would ordinarily serve a three-year term. However, nations that contribute more than $1 billion in cash within the first year of the board’s establishment would be exempt from the term limit and allowed to remain members beyond the initial period.
“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman,” the document says, adding that the restriction would not apply to countries making contributions exceeding $1 billion.
The White House has reportedly reached out to several world leaders to join the proposed board, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. Leaders of Egypt, Turkey, Argentina and Canada were among the first invited over the weekend, signalling the board’s expanding scope.
Although the initiative was initially conceived to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, the charter does not confine its mandate to the Palestinian territory. Instead, it defines the Board of Peace as an international organisation aimed at promoting stability, restoring governance and securing “enduring peace” in conflict-affected or at-risk regions.
The proposed structure includes a main board, a Palestinian technocratic committee intended to administer Gaza, and a separate executive board with what appears to be an advisory role.
The charter takes an implicit swipe at existing multilateral institutions, arguing that the new body should have “the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed,” a reference widely seen as targeting the United Nations. Trump has been a long-standing critic of the UN and recently announced plans for the United States to withdraw from dozens of international organisations and treaties, many linked to the global body.
Membership of the Board of Peace would be strictly controlled, with participation limited to states invited by Trump as chairman. He would also retain the power to remove member states, subject to a two-thirds veto by the board, and to appoint his successor should he step down.
In addition to heads of state, Trump has named several high-profile figures as members, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former Unitef Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair, senior negotiator Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
The initiative has already sparked controversy, with Israel reportedly objecting to the composition of the proposed Gaza executive board, which includes Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi.
If implemented, the Board of Peace would represent a radical departure from traditional multilateral diplomacy, blending conflict resolution with a pay-for-influence membership model under direct White House control.
