US President Donald Trump unveiled the Board of Peace on Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, with a pledge to restore the Gaza Strip after Israel's devastating war.
He stood on stage with leaders and representatives of 20 countries that had signed up after they received official invitations. The signing took place on Thursday morning at the World Economic Forum.
Mr Trump sought to allay fears that the board seeks to take over from the UN, which he and his administration have heavily criticised and sought to defund, although it was clear that Mr Trump intends for it to tackle more crises than Gaza.
Mr Trump said during a celebratory event that the board will “work with many others, including the United Nations".
“Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever in conjunction with the United Nations. You know, I’ve always said the United Nations has got tremendous potential,” Mr Trump said.
In the next few weeks, there will be a fundraising conference in Washington DC to attract financing for the reconstruction of Gaza, which is estimated to need tens of billions of dollars.
Mr Trump was joined on stage by founding member states, represented by senior leaders including Argentina's President Javier Milei, Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of the Executive Affairs Authority in the UAE, represented his country.
There were no Israeli or Palestinian officials present.
But Ali Shaath, head of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, announced in a video message that the Rafah border would be opened next week, in an apparent show of the board's ability for progress.
The border will be open in both directions, allowing aid to flood in and potentially allowing people in and out of Gaza. The details of the opening were not made clear, but Mr Shaath said it meant “Gaza would be open to the world".
Leaders joined Mr Trump at a table on stage to sign documents, which White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said put the board’s charter “in full force” and made it an “official international organisation".
The founding draft asked countries to contribute at least $1 billion to secure a permanent spot. Mr Trump has the ultimate decision-making power as the “inaugural chairman”, although decisions will be made by a majority vote, it was suggested.
Mr Trump, in an ebullient mood, joked that he liked most of the people on the board.
“Everyone of them is a friend of mine,” he said on stage, joking that “a couple, let’s see, a couple I like, a couple I don’t like. No. I like actually, this group, I like every single one of them, can you believe it? Usually I have about two or three that I can’t stand.”
No Western European governments have signed up yet.
Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney said his country is willing to join the board “in principle” but added at Davos on Tuesday that it should be focused on addressing Gaza’s needs. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer declined to endorse the board, and said he would co-ordinate with allies for a response.
Mr Trump this week said he wished that “we didn’t need a Board of Peace", but that the UN had failed to help him solve the world’s conflicts.
The event happened after a two-week crisis over the administration's claims that it would seize strategically important Greenland.
Mr Trump backed down to some extent on Wednesday when he said no force would be used, although he still wants Greenland to be part of America.
Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, presented a slideshow on the plans for Gaza. He said there were plans “in a couple of weeks” to hold a conference to announce contributions from the private sector.
“I know it’s a little risky to be invested in a place like this, but we need you to come, take faith, invest in the people, try to be a part of it,” Mr Kushner said.
The slideshow included artist impressions of "New Gaza", which show gleaming modern tower blocks. It also mentioned "de-radicalisation" and the creation of a "free market economy" for Gazans.
President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani was one of the few board members to speak to the media afterwards.
Ms Osmani said her country can act as a "beacon of hope" as world leaders gathered at the Board of Peace signing ceremony.
“It's not going to be easy, but when we all join forces to help people in need, that is always possible,” she told reporters at the ceremony.
“We speak from our own experience. About 25, 26 years ago, we were the country that was down, destroyed, down to the ashes, and we were all rebuilt.
“We rebuilt our lives, not just the buildings, and we've rebuilt everything to become a beacon of hope and to become a beacon of peace in Europe and beyond. According to international organisations today, Kosovo is also one of the safest countries in the world.
“So now we need to make sure that this example is carried through.”
