US President Donald Trump’s administration is seeking a $1 billion financial contribution from countries in exchange for permanent membership on a proposed international “Board of Peace,” according to a draft charter seen on Monday.
The Board of Peace, chaired by Trump, is envisioned as a global body aimed at resolving conflicts and promoting post-war reconstruction, particularly in regions affected by prolonged instability.
The White House has already extended invitations to several world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, to join the body.
Under the draft charter, member states would normally be allowed to serve a term of up to three years from the date the charter enters into force, with renewal subject to the chairman’s approval.
However, the document makes an exception for countries that contribute more than $1 billion in cash to the board within its first year, exempting them from the three-year term limit and effectively granting them permanent membership.
“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman,” the charter states. It adds that the limit “shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than USD $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year.”
Membership of the board would be restricted to countries invited directly by Trump in his capacity as chairman, according to the charter.
Member states would be represented by their heads of state.
The board was initially conceived as a mechanism to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza following years of conflict.
However, the charter does not confine its mandate to the occupied Palestinian territory.
Instead, it describes the Board of Peace as “an international organization that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict.”
The White House said the proposed structure would include a main board, a Palestinian committee of technocrats tasked with governing war-ravaged Gaza, and a second “executive board” that appears to be designed to play an advisory role.
Language in the draft charter suggests a critical stance toward existing international institutions, including the United Nations.
It says the board should have “the courage to depart from approaches and institutions that have too often failed,” echoing Trump’s long-standing criticism of the UN.
Earlier this month, Trump announced that the United States would withdraw from 66 international organisations and treaties, roughly half of which are affiliated with the UN system.
The charter also grants Trump significant authority over the board’s composition.
As chairman, he would have the power to remove member states, subject to a two-thirds veto by other members, and to select his successor should he step down from the role.
The Board of Peace began to take concrete shape over the weekend, when leaders of Egypt, Turkey, Argentina and Canada were formally invited to participate.
Trump has also named several individuals as members, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former British prime minister Tony Blair, senior negotiator Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
However, the proposed structure has already drawn objections from Israel, particularly over the planned “Gaza executive board,” which would include Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Qatari diplomat Ali Al-Thawadi.
The draft charter has yet to be formally adopted, and the proposal is expected to generate further debate over its funding model, governance structure and relationship with existing international bodies.