By Chinonyerem Emmanuel
Trump administration is proposing a striking new model for global diplomacy. Nations may be asked to pay up to 1 billion dollars for a permanent seat on a newly formed international body known as the Board of Peace, according to a draft charter reviewed by Bloomberg and first reported Saturday night.
The Board of Peace was formally endorsed by the United Nations Security Council in November 2025 and was created to oversee and enforce the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Beyond ceasefire monitoring, the board has been given an expansive mandate that includes the full reconstruction of Gaza.
Under the draft charter, US President Donald Trump is expected to serve as the board’s inaugural chairman, granting him significant influence over the group’s structure and direction. Trump would personally decide which countries receive invitations to join, Bloomberg reported. While the board would operate on a majority vote system, the chairman would retain final approval authority over all decisions.
Membership on the Board of Peace would normally last three years, but the draft introduces a controversial provision. Countries could obtain a permanent seat by making a 1 billion dollar cash contribution within the first year of the charter’s launch.
A US official told CNBC that there is technically no cost to join the Board of Peace. However, the official confirmed that the 1 billion dollar payment would guarantee permanent membership.
According to the administration, the funds would be used almost entirely to fulfill the board’s mission to rebuild all of Gaza, with virtually every dollar directed toward reconstruction and stabilization efforts.
The official also emphasized that the board would avoid what they described as the typical pitfalls of international institutions, pledging to operate without exorbitant salaries and massive administrative bloat. Still, key questions remain unanswered, most notably where the collected funds would be held and who would oversee their management.
As part of the rollout, Trump has already begun extending invitations to world leaders. According to Bloomberg, those invited include Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Argentine President Javier Milei, who were asked to participate in a Board of Peace for Gaza, a specialized body operating under the larger Board of Peace framework.
Additional countries have confirmed receiving invitations. Hungary, India, Jordan, Greece, Cyprus, and Pakistan acknowledged their invitations on Sunday, according to AP News. Other nations including Turkey, Egypt, Paraguay, and Albania had been invited earlier, and US officials indicated that a full list of participating countries could be announced in the coming days.
In parallel, the Trump administration has established a founding executive board tasked with overseeing what the White House described as a defined portfolio critical to Gaza’s stabilization and long term success.
Named appointees include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, US special envoy Steve Witkoff, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son in law and longtime adviser on Middle East affairs. International figures such as former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan, and World Bank President Ajay Banga are also included, along with US Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gabriel.
The ambitious scope of the Board of Peace, combined with its pay-for-permanence structure and Trump’s central role, has already sparked debate among diplomats and analysts.
Supporters argue it offers a bold and results-driven alternative to traditional multilateral institutions, while critics warn it could blur the line between diplomacy, finance, and political influence on an unprecedented scale.
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