Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday signed the charter for the “Board of Peace” headed by United States President Donald Trump, who has billed the body as a platform for resolving international conflicts.
The body was initially envisioned as a mechanism to address Israel’s war on Gaza, though its charter does not restrict its mandate solely to the occupied Palestinian territory.
“Congratulations President Trump, the charter is now in full force, and the Board of Peace is now an official international organisation,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the signing ceremony held in Davos, Switzerland.
“Every one of them are friends of mine. I like every single one of them,” Trump said about the signatories.
“Just about every country wants to be a part of it. We sent out the letters a couple of days ago and countries that are here just happened to be in Davos,” he said.
The US president declared, “Everybody in this room is a star […] There’s a reason that you’re here. When you use that inspired genius for peace, the opposite of peace has no chance.”
Referring to the signatories at the outset of his speech, Trump said, “Each and every one of you, we are truly honoured by your presence today. Leaders of countries, in most cases, very popular leaders; in some cases, not so popular.”
Among those seated in the audience was PM Shehbaz, after Pakistan on Wednesday accepted Trump’s invitation to join the Board of Peace.
After an address by the US president, the heads of various countries took turns to sign the board’s charter at a meeting in Davos, Switzerland. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner also spoke on the occasion.
During his speech, the US president also said that Hamas must disarm under the Gaza ceasefire deal or it will be the “end” of the Palestinian movement.
“They have to give up their weapons, and if they don’t do that, it’s going to be the end of them,” Trump said.
“We’re committed to ensuring Gaza is demilitarised, properly governed and beautifully rebuilt,” he affirmed, adding that “we can spread out to other things as we succeed with Gaza”.
“Once this board is completely formed, we can do pretty much whatever we want to do, and we’ll do it in conjunction with the UN,” the US president said, adding that the combination of the Board of Peace and the United Nations could be “very, very unique for the world”.
Trump recalled that under Phase 1 of the ceasefire plan, “we have painstakingly […] maintained the Gaza ceasefire, delivered record levels of humanitarian aid”.
“We’ve given aid, you know, you used to hear that all the people were starving and it was terrible. You don’t hear that anymore,” he insisted, highlighting the release of 20 Israeli captives and the bodies of most of the deceased ones.
The US president asserted: “The first steps toward a brighter day for the Middle East and a much safer future for the world are unfolding before your very eyes.
“Together we are in a position to have an incredible chance — I don’t even call it a chance, it’s gonna happen — to end decades of suffering, stop generations of hatred and bloodshed and forge a beautiful, everlasting and glorious peace for that region, and for the whole region of the world, because I’m calling the world a region.”
Trump also claimed that Iran wants to hold talks with the US, and that Washington was willing to do so. “And Iran does want to talk, and we’ll talk.”
He also recalled the US strikes on Iran’s uranium enrichment sites in June 2025.“Can’t let that happen,” he said, referring to the US’s stance that Tehran plans to build nuclear weapons.
More to follow
