ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump’s newly formed “Board of Peace” for Gaza on Wednesday named 26 countries as founding members, with Pakistan included among the initial participants of the international body.
According to the announced list, founding members comprise Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania and Bahrain.
Other countries joining the initiative include Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Paraguay, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.
The announcement came a week after President Trump formally unveiled the board during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The body has since launched its official presence on social media platform X.
Notably absent from the founding members were major European powers such as France, Germany and the United Kingdom, amid growing strains in relations with Washington over issues including tariff policies and Trump’s controversial remarks regarding Greenland, Anadolu reported.
Ukraine raised concerns over participation alongside Belarus, while Russia was not included in the body despite President Vladimir Putin indicating Moscow’s willingness to contribute $1 billion from frozen Russian assets to support the board’s budget.
Trump had announced the creation of the Board of Peace on January 15 as part of a broader Gaza initiative that also paved the way for a ceasefire agreement. While initially focused on overseeing the truce and reconstruction efforts in Gaza, the board’s charter has since expanded its mandate to include peace-building in other conflict-affected regions.