Peace Board, Trump's private UN to retire Glass Palace in New York

2026-01-18 21:03:38Pikëpamje SHKRUAR NGA FRANCESCA CAFERRI
Donald Trump

Francesca Caferri - La Repubblica

Forget Gaza. Aside from a brief mention in the invitation letter to some 60 heads of state and government, there is no real reference to Gaza in the founding documents of Donald Trump’s Peace Council. The message is clear: The focus is no longer on a single territory, but on the entire world, the one the American president is convinced he is destined to lead and “save.”

According to a consensus among analysts, this is precisely the direction the Peace Board aims to take. A structure, the rules and characteristics of which were revealed yesterday by the Israeli daily Haaretz, which in the vision of the founder should bring peace and prosperity to areas of the world affected by conflicts and tensions.

An ambition that closely resembles what the 51 founding states of the United Nations declared 80 years ago. And that is precisely why Trump's announcement rings ironic: it came on the same day that the UN Secretary-General was marking the anniversary, warning of "powerful forces" trying to "choke international cooperation."

"We move forward, despite everything," said António Guterres, in a somber tone, as his mandate ends at the end of December.

Guterres's bellicose rhetoric does not hide the reality: the past two years have been the most difficult ever for the UN, battered, discredited and weakened by open hostility from the US. This was first materialized by severe financial cuts, and then, on January 7, by the US withdrawal from 31 UN agencies that Trump has called "inefficient, harmful or costly."

Among them are agencies dealing with climate, the environment, women's rights, peacebuilding, and the protection of victims of armed conflict and sexual violence.

It is precisely these structures and the entire system revolving around the "Glass Palace" in New York that Trump intends to replace with the Peace Board.

According to the founding charter seen by Haaretz, the Peace Board will work to “re-establish a credible and legitimate government and to guarantee a lasting peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict,” taking on the role of other existing organizations.

Without directly mentioning the UN, the document implicitly criticizes it, emphasizing the need for “a more flexible and effective international peacebuilding body” and adding that sustainable peace requires “the courage to abandon institutions that have too often failed.”

The charter clearly states that Donald J. Trump will be the inaugural President of the Peace Council, with no term limits, nor tied to the U.S. presidency. Trump will have the exclusive right to invite countries, renew or revoke their membership, appoint and dismiss members, and veto any decision. Only a two-thirds majority would allow other countries to block his decisions. Countries that donate at least $1 billion will be granted permanent seats.

According to the Financial Times, citing sources close to the Trump administration, at the top of the Peace Board's priorities are Ukraine and Venezuela, two of the most complex military and political crises of the moment.

But what chance does such an initiative have? Initial reactions are deeply skeptical. Although few leaders are willing to openly criticize Trump, especially after imposing tariffs on countries that opposed the idea of ??the US taking over Greenland, diplomats and analysts express serious doubts about a global body under American supervision.

The situation resembles the symbolic episode of recent days: Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado presented Trump with her medal, while he has never hidden his disappointment at not receiving the prize himself. The Norwegian committee reacted immediately, clarifying that having the medal does not mean being a Nobel laureate.

The message, translated into global diplomacy, is clear: You can create your UN, but it will never truly be the UN.


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