India absent as Donald Trump unveils ‘Board of Peace’ for Gaza at Davos

There was no Indian representation on Thursday as US President Donald Trump formally launched his “Board of Peace,” a body initially conceived to support peace efforts in Gaza but whose expansive mandate has raised concerns about undermining the United Nations.

No permanent member of the UN Security Council other than the United States has joined the board so far, nor has any G7 country besides the US.

Trump presided over a signing ceremony on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he again claimed credit for ending “eight wars in nine months,” including last May’s India-Pakistan conflict. With Pakistan among the 19 countries represented at the ceremony, Trump said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had praised him for saving millions of lives.

India was among around 60 countries invited last week to join the Board of Peace. People familiar with the matter said no Indian officials attended the ceremony and New Delhi has yet to decide whether to join.

The board’s official charter makes no reference to Gaza and instead outlines a broad mandate to promote stability and secure “enduring peace” in conflict-affected or threatened regions — language that critics say could overlap with or challenge existing international institutions. Trump himself suggested the board’s role could expand well beyond Gaza.

“I think we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza,” he said. “Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do.”

While Trump said the board could work alongside the UN, he asserted that the world body played no role in the conflicts he claimed to have ended, including the India-Pakistan standoff. India has rejected Trump’s assertions, maintaining that hostilities ended after four days when military officials from both sides reached an understanding.

Documents establishing the board were signed by leaders of 11 countries — Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay and Uzbekistan — and senior officials from eight others: Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the UAE and Mongolia.

Indian officials have been closely monitoring the positions of key partners, including France and Russia, amid concerns that the board could weaken the UN framework and that Trump could remain its chair indefinitely, sources said. Pakistan’s participation has also been viewed with caution in some quarters. In addition to Sharif, the ceremony was attended by Pakistan Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, whom Sharif pointed out to Trump during the event.

Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, a member of the board’s executive body and its Gaza executive board, outlined a development plan for Gaza but made no mention of a pathway to a Palestinian state. The Gaza executive board forms part of the second phase of a US-brokered Israel-Hamas agreement. The first phase — a ceasefire finalised last October — has been repeatedly strained by violence, while the next stage faces challenges including Hamas’s disarmament and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

India is expected to engage further on the Gaza peace process when it hosts a meeting of Arab League foreign ministers in New Delhi on January 30-31. On Thursday, External Affairs Ministry Secretary (South) Neena Malhotra met Arab League envoys to review preparations. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to visit Israel in February, providing further opportunities for consultations on the regional situation.