Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542865
8 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 28 JANUARY 2026 NEWS Creation The Board of Peace is a recently launched international body with limited recognition linked to the United Nations, but it is neither a tra- ditional nor universally recognised organisation. Its legal and diplomat- ic status is highly ambiguous. The board was formally established on paper when Donald Trump signed its charter at the World Economic Fo- rum in Davos in January 2026. The charter sets up a US-led body tasked with overseeing stability and reconstruction in conflict zones, starting with Gaza, but it does not grant the board full international le- gal recognition or independent au- thority. Decisions are nominally taken by consensus among member states, but the US—as initiator, primary funder, and dominant political actor—re- tains de facto veto-like control, al- lowing Trump or his representatives to exert disproportionate influence. The board lacks an independent secretariat or judicial body, and the charter's flexible language on powers consolidates US dominance. The UN Security Council wel- comed the board under Resolution 2803 in November 2025, but recognition is limited to Gaza and valid on- ly through 2027. Many countries approach partici- pation cautiously, fearing it could undermine estab- lished multilateral institutions and in- ternational law. Membership Invitation and initial membership: Countries are invited by Trump and may join temporarily for a standard term of three years without paying a fee. Permanent membership: A perma- nent seat requires a contribution of US $1 billion within the first year, lifting the three-year limit. Countries can join temporarily without paying upfront. Payment is only required to upgrade to permanent membership. Board operation The Board of Peace has two main organs—the Gener- al Board, composed of invited member states and international fig- ures including Donald Trump as chair, which sets strategic direc- tion; and the Execu- tive Board, composed of appointed leaders such as Tony Blair, Marco Rubio, and Jared Kushner, which oversees im- plementation and day-to-day oper- ations. A subsidiary Gaza Executive Board manages local governance. Members and refusers Confirmed members: Argentina, Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bah- rain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mo- rocco, Mongolia, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Uzbek- istan, and Vietnam. Refused or declined to join: France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Spain, and Italy. Cautious, undecided or uncon- firmed responses: A number of states and entities have either not yet made a decision public or are taking a cautious approach after receiving invitations. China has confirmed it received an invitation but has not commented on it. Russia, Ukraine, India, and Canada have been report- edly invited but have not confirmed participation. Canada's invitation was later withdrawn by Trump. Oth- er invited nations such as Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, and South Korea are either considering the offer or have not publicly responded. FACT SHEET: The Board of Peace CONTINUES FROM PAGE 1 "Trump doesn't want peace, what he wants is imperialism," Masini Vento said, adding that peace can- not be achieved by someone who supports the Israeli government, organises a coup in Venezuela, and threatens to take over Greenland. Masini Vento insisted Malta's membership in the board would go against the country's Constitution. Meanwhile, Carmen Sammut, who once headed Labour think-tank Ide- at, said participation in the Board of Peace "is not in the national inter- est". Sammut said joining the board would mean a betrayal of Malta. "This is not a Peace Board but com- plicity in historic injustice. It is at minimum speculation on blood- soaked land, but probably daylight theft and exploitation of the massive gas reserves off Gaza, which Pales- tinians were never allowed to ex- tract." Sammut said the government must not only receive advice from its law- yers but also by informed public opinion. Labour officials against Meanwhile, PL President Alex Sciberras and MP Edward Zammit Lewis, voiced their scepticism at the prospect of Malta joining the board. Speaking to MaltaToday, Sciberras said that the invitation has not yet been discussed within the party. "But our founding principles are very clear, and in an uncertain world it is precisely those principles, which have served us well and which have shaped who we are as a movement and as a country, that should contin- ue to guide our decisions," he stated. "So, when Malta considers joining any initiative that claims to work for peace, the real question is not who is behind it, but what kind of peace it represents. Is it a peace that protects the weak, or a peace that accommo- dates the powerful?" Former minister Edward Zammit Lewis told MaltaToday that any initiative promoting peace should "complement, and not risk under- mining, well-established interna- tional institutions such as the EU and the United Nations which have long provided a framework for stability and cooperation among states." He said there needs to be more clarity on the mandate, legal basis, and governance of the board "before any consideration of participation could realistically be assessed". Also opposed to Malta's participa- tion on the Board of Peace was PL special delegate Jason Micallef. "An invite is not an obligation," he said. "In the current circumstanc- es, Malta's invite to participate in Trump's 'Board of Peace' shouldn't be accepted." Micallef added that on issues such as this, the government, "shouldn't give needless oxygen to its political adversaries." PL president, former minister sceptical Labour Party HQ (Photo: Labour Party)