US President Donald Trump declared that the conflict in Gaza would end following the signing of the “Peace Board” initiative for the region at an event at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland.
The event was attended by several world leaders, but the international presence was not comprehensive.
Several major countries were not represented at the event, including major European powers. Trump also criticized Spain over defense spending, reflecting ongoing tensions between the United States and some of its allies.
Among the countries represented at the signing ceremony were the United Arab Emirates, Hungary and Pakistan. The Peace Board aims to oversee the reconstruction process in Gaza, with a mandate that has now been expanded beyond the territory.
List of leaders and representatives involved in the signing:
Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Minister of the Prime Minister's Court, Bahrain
Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Morocco
Javier Milei, President, Argentina
Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister, Armenia
Ilham Aliyev, President, Azerbaijan
Rosen Zhelyazkov, Prime Minister, Bulgaria
Viktor Orban, Prime Minister, Hungary
Prabowo Subianto, President, Indonesia
Ayman Al Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jordan
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President, Kazakhstan
Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, President, Kosovo
Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister, Pakistan
Santiago Peña, President, Paraguay
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister, Qatar
Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saudi Arabia
Hakan Fidan, Foreign Minister, Turkey
Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Special Envoy to the US, United Arab Emirates
Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President, Uzbekistan
Gombojavyn Zandanshatar, Prime Minister, Mongolia
In contrast, several major countries including Canada, France, Germany, Italy and other European countries did not attend the event, with some formally declining the invitation. The United Kingdom, Spain, Belgium, Sweden, Slovenia and Norway also did not participate.
Russia accepted an invitation to join the Peace Council and is evaluating the proposal, but did not send a representative to the signing ceremony. Israel was also not represented, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to be joining the initiative at a later stage.
The Peace Council was approved by the United Nations Security Council in November last year. Originally established to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, its mandate has now been expanded to include efforts at global stability and international conflict resolution.
The White House previously confirmed the creation of an Executive Board to implement the Peace Council's vision.
Announced Executive Board Members:
Marco Rubio, U.S. Secretary of State
Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East
Jared Kushner, Senior Advisor and Trump son-in-law
Sir Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Marc Rowan, CEO of Apollo
Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank
Robert Gabriel, National Security Advisor
