Governments reacted cautiously on Sunday to US President Donald Trump's invitation to join the Gaza Board of Peace (BoP) aimed at resolving conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations.
Only Hungary, whose leader is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals on Saturday, according to diplomats.
Trump has also invited India to be a part of the BoP, Asian News International (ANI) reported on Sunday, citing sources familiar with the details.
Other governments appeared reluctant to make public statements, leaving officials to express concerns anonymously about the impact on the work of the UN.
The board would be chaired for life by Trump and would start by addressing Gaza and then be expanded to deal with other conflicts, according to a copy of the letter and draft charter seen by Reuters.
Member states would also be limited to three-year terms unless they "contribute more than $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force," according to the draft charter.
"This simply offers permanent membership to partner countries who demonstrate deep commitment to peace, security, and prosperity," the White House said in a post on X/Twitter.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, visiting South Korea, told reporters her country was "ready to do our part," although it was not clear whether she was specifically referring to Gaza or the broader peace.
Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Sunday he had agreed to Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza in principle although details were still being worked out.
A mandate for a BoP was authorized by the United Nations Security Council in November, but only through 2027 and solely focused on the Gaza conflict. Russia and China, two veto wielding powers, abstained, complaining that the resolution did not give the UN a clear role in the future of Gaza.
The inclusion of a 'charter' in the invitation letter stoked concerns among some European governments that it could undermine the work of the United Nations, which Trump has accused of not supporting his efforts to end conflicts around the world.
"It's a 'Trump United Nations' that ignores the fundamentals of the UN charter," said one diplomat.
Three other Western diplomats said it looked as if it would undermine the United Nations if it went ahead.
A further three diplomats and an Israeli source said that Trump wanted the Board of Peace to eventually have a broader role beyond Gaza that would oversee the other conflicts that Trump has said he has resolved.
The leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Hungary, Australia, Canada, the European Commission and key Middle East powers were among those invited, according to officials. "We have, of course, accepted this honorable invitation," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a close ally of Trump, wrote on X.
The document said "durable peace requires pragmatic judgment, common-sense solutions, and the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed." There was a "need for a more nimble and effective international peace-building body," it added.
A spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Guterres "believes Member States are free to associate in different groups" in response to a question about the draft US charter for a Board of Peace.
"The United Nations will continue with its mandated work," deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said.
Trump, who covets the Nobel Peace Prize, said in the letter that the board would convene in the near future, adding: "This board will be one of a kind, there has never been anything like it!"
Another senior UN official did not address the plan directly, but said the United Nations was the only institution with the moral and legal ability to bring together every nation, big or small.
"And if we question that ... we fall back and very, very, dark, times," Annalena Baerbock, president of the United Nations General Assembly, told Sky News, adding that it was up to individual states to decide what to do.
Trump has long been wary of multilateral institutions, particularly the United Nations. He has repeatedly questioned the effectiveness, cost and accountability of international bodies, arguing they often fail to serve US interests.
The US, which is required to pay 22% of the UN's regular budget, currently owes $1.5 billion, according to UN officials.
The White House announced on Friday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner, and former British prime minister Tony Blair will be among the founding members of the new BoP.
Israel and Hamas signed off on Trump's plan, which says a Palestinian technocratic administration will be overseen by an international board, which will supervise Gaza's governance for a transitional period.
Trump goes for global peace role
"It's going to, in my opinion, start with Gaza and then do conflicts as they arise," Trump told Reuters in an interview earlier this week.
Many rights experts and advocates have said that Trump overseeing a board to supervise a foreign territory's governance resembles a colonial structure, while Blair's involvement was criticized last year due to his role in the Iraq war and the history of British imperialism in the Middle East.
The White House did not detail the responsibilities of each member of the board. The names do not include any Palestinians. The White House said more members will be announced over the coming weeks.
It also named a separate, 11-member "Gaza Executive Board" to support the technocratic body including officials from Turkey and Qatar.
The makeup of the BoP contradicts Israeli policy and was not brought up with Israeli authorities before the White House's announcement, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a Saturday statement.
According to the PMO, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar to take the matter up with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Amichai Stein contributed to this report.