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India participated as an observer in the first meeting of the Board of Peace launched by Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. The initiative, introduced at the World Economic Forum, aims to play a major global peace role and potentially rival the United Nations.
India Keeps Watchful Eye on Trump’s New Global Peace Initiative
New Delhi: The first formal meeting of the Board of Peace, established at the initiative of US President Donald Trump, was held in Washington, DC, on Thursday. India participated in the meeting not as a full member, but as an observer country. India was represented by Charge d'Affaires Namgyal C. Khampa at the Indian Embassy. This indicates that India is closely monitoring this initiative.
Trump presented the outline of this Board of Peace during the World Economic Forum in Davos last month. He claimed that this institution could rival the United Nations in the future. Initially, it was proposed to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza and cooperate in governance, but later indications were given to expand its role and scope.
Why is India cautious about joining Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ on Gaza?
Representatives from approximately 50 countries participated in the meeting held at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington. Of these, 27 countries are full members, including Azerbaijan, Egypt, Israel, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Some other countries, including India and the European Union, participated as observers.
India received an invitation to join the board, but did not immediately clarify its position. On February 12, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that the proposal was under consideration. India's stance has been that it supports peace efforts in West Asia, but that it is important to assess the objectives and structure of any new multilateral arrangement before joining it. Participation in the first meeting certainly indicated that India is not in favor of completely distancing itself.
During the meeting, Trump announced that nine countries, including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Kuwait, had agreed on a $7 billion relief package for Gaza. The United States also announced a $10 billion grant for the Board of Peace, although no clear details were provided regarding the use of this amount.
