Donald Trump's much-vaunted 'Board of Peace', launched in January with a grand ceremony in Switzerland, is struggling to make headway. The board, intended to implement a truce plan for Gaza and address global conflicts, has seen promised US funding fail to materialise, leaving its mission in limbo.
Signatories from 19 countries included Hungary's Viktor Orban and leaders from Gulf states, but notable absences were key NATO allies like the UK, concerned about Russia's potential membership and the board's broad remit. Critics viewed the initiative as an attempt to supplant the United Nations.
Despite pledges of around $7bn from states and a promised $10bn from the US, no funds have been deposited into the official World Bank-administered fund. Donations have instead gone into a JP Morgan account lacking independent transparency, including $100m from the UAE for a Gaza police force that has yet to materialise.
The board's 'high representative' for post-war Gaza, Nickolay Mladenov, and a Palestinian technocratic committee have not started work, and no reconstruction contracts have been awarded, partly because Hamas has not disarmed. The US State Department's plan to reallocate $1.2bn in aid spending also remains unrealised.
Meanwhile, Trump has turned his attention to the Iran war, proposing a peace deal contingent on Muslim-majority states signing the Abraham Accords, despite Qatar and Saudi Arabia not wanting the conflict. Key issues like control of the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear programme remain unresolved, with details to be 'bashed out later'.
The pattern suggests Trump's grand plans prioritise photo opportunities over the tedious work of implementation, leaving both the Board of Peace and his Iran peace efforts floundering.
