The Albany Gazette - What is Trump's 'Board of Peace'?

The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of war-torn Gaza, but the charter does not appear to limit its role to the occupied Palestinian territory.

What exactly will it do? And who has been invited?

- To what end? -

The Board of Peace will be chaired by Trump, according to its founding charter.

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", it adds.

- Who's boss? -

Trump will be chairman but also "separately serve as inaugural representative of the United States of America".

"The Chairman shall have exclusive authority to create, modify, or dissolve subsidiary entities as necessary or appropriate to fulfill the Board of Peace's mission," the document states.

He will pick members of an Executive Board to be "leaders of global stature" to "serve two-year terms, subject to removal by the Chairman".

He may also, "acting on behalf of the Board of Peace", "adopt resolutions or other directives".

The chairman can be replaced only in case of "voluntary resignation or as a result of incapacity".

- Who can be a member? -

Member states have to be invited by the US president, and will be represented by their head of state or government.

Each member "shall serve a term of no more than three years", the charter says.

But "the three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter's entry into force", it adds.

The board will "convene voting meetings at least annually", and "each member State shall have one vote".

But while all decisions require "a majority of Member States present and voting", they will also be "subject to the approval of the Chairman, who may also cast a vote in his capacity as Chairman in the event of a tie".

- Who's already in? -

The White House has said its members will include:

US President Donald Trump, chair

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio

Steve Witkoff, Trump's special negotiator

Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law

Tony Blair, former UK prime minister

Marc Rowan, billionaire US financier

Ajay Banga, World Bank president

Robert Gabriel, loyal Trump aide on the National Security Council

- Who's been invited? -

The list of countries and leaders who say they have been invited include, but are not limited to:

Russia's President Vladimir Putin

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi

Argentina's President Javier Milei

Jordan

Brazil

Paraguay

India

Pakistan

Germany

France

Italy

Hungary

Romania

Uzbekistan

Belarus

- When does it start? -

The charter says it enters into force "upon expression of consent to be bound by three States".

(C.Young--TAG)