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Trump's Board of Peace: Which countries accepted, rejected invites?
Member states would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay $1 billion each to fund the board's activities and earn permanent membership
- PUBLISHED: Tue 20 Jan 2026, 10:38 PM UPDATED: Wed 21 Jan 2026, 9:33 PM
- By:
- Yasmin Hussein
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US President Donald Trump's administration has sent letters of invitation to over 60 countries to join a new entitiy called the "Board of Peace", which was originally proposed in September when announcing Trump's 20-point plan to end the war in Gaza.
But an invitation sent to world leaders in January 2026 outlines a broad role beyond Gaza to end conflicts globally. It is "an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict", reads the preamble of the charter sent to countries invited to participate. It will "undertake such peace-building functions in accordance with international law".
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Member states would be limited to three-year terms unless they pay $1 billion each to fund the board's activities and earn permanent membership, according to a copy of the draft charter.
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Countries are reacting with caution to the invitation but several nations have announced their willingness to be part of the board while others expressed their rejection amid fears for the future of the United Nations.
Who accepted Trump's invite to join Board of Peace'?
UAE
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has accepted the invitation from the United States to join the "Board of Peace", the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) announced on January 20. The Ministry emphasised that the UAE’s decision to join the "Board of Peace" reflects the importance of fully implementing Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza.
Bahrain
Bahrain's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has accepted the invitation to join the Board of Peace.
The ministry affirmed that Bahrain’s decision stems from its keenness to move forward with the full implementation of the peace plan proposed by Trump regarding Gaza.
Morocco
Morocco will also join the Board of Peace, the North African country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. "Welcoming the commitment and vision of President Donald Trump for promoting peace, His Majesty the King has accepted this invitation. In this context, Morocco will ratify the founding charter of this Board," it stated.
Israel
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on January 21 accepted the invitation, Netanyahu's office posted on X.
Belarus
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko signed an agreement to join the board. A presidential Telegram channel published video of Lukashenko signing the document, and quoted him as saying he hoped to contribute towards peace in Ukraine.
Hungrary
The European country, whose Prime Minister Viktor Orban is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitation.
Canada
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had agreed to Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza in principle, although details were still being worked out.
7 Muslim and Arab nations
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Indonesia and Pakistan have issued a joint statement with the UAE to announce their acceptance of Trump's invitation to join the board.
Kosovo
Kosovo said it will join the proposed body. "I am deeply honored by the President's personal invitation to represent the Republic of Kosovo as a founding member of the Board of Peace, standing shoulder to shoulder with the United States in the pursuit of a safer world," Kosovo's President Vjosa Osmani wrote on X.
Other countries which will join include Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Paraguay, Vietnam, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Who rejected? And why
France
France "does not intend to answer favourably" to an invitation to join the "Board of Peace", a source close to President Emmanuel Macron said.
Its charter "goes beyond the sole framework of Gaza", the source added. "It raises major questions, particularly regarding respect for the principles and structure of the United Nations, which under no circumstances can be called into question,".
Norway
Norway will not take part in the "Board of Peace" initiative the way the plan is currently presented, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik told daily Aftenposten.
Germany
The German government is against joining the "Board of Peace" because it risks undermining the United Nations, Spiegel magazine reported, citing a foreign ministry document.
Slovenia
Slovenia's Prime Minister Robert Golob said his country will not accept the invitation. "The main concern is that the committee's mandate is too broad and that it could dangerously undermine the international order based on the United Nations Charter," the N1 news web portal quoted Golob as saying.
Countries which confirmed invitation
China
Beijing confirmed on January 20 that China had been invited to join US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace". "China has received the United States' invitation," foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular news briefing, without specifying whether Beijing would accept the invitation.
India
India is also among the countries which received an offer from Trump to be part of the initiative that is aimed at resolving global conflicts, beginning with Gaza, a senior Indian government official said.
Ukraine
Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed he had been invited to join but could not envisage working there alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin who was invited. "We did receive the invitation; our diplomats are working on it," Zelensky told reporters, adding however that: "It's still very hard for me to imagine how we and Russia could be together in any kind of council."
(With inputs from AFP and Reuters)
Yasmin Hussein is an Assistant Digital Editor who believes that every news story carries a human element. Her motto is 'get it first, but first get it right'.
