Trump Launches Board of Peace to Reform the United Nations

President Donald Trump is taking direct aim at what he calls years of dysfunction at the United Nations and he’s not asking permission.

In Washington, D.C., Trump convened the inaugural Board of Peace, a newly formed international body he says will ensure the UN “runs properly” and finally lives up to its long-promised potential. The message was unmistakable: reform is coming, and the United States intends to lead it.

“I think the United Nations has great potential. It has not lived up to that potential,” Trump said. “The United Nations is going to be much stronger, and the Board of Peace will be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly.”

The meeting took place at the newly renamed Donald J. Trump U.S. Institute of Peace and drew representatives from 48 countries, along with the European Union and FIFA. The scale alone signaled that this was more than symbolic.

Trump has long criticized the UN for inefficiency and bureaucratic stagnation. The United States contributes roughly 22% of the UN’s regular budget and about 27% of its peacekeeping budget far more than any other nation. Yet critics argue the organization has often failed to resolve major conflicts or streamline operations.

Trump made clear that under his leadership, U.S. involvement would come with expectations.

“We will make sure that the United Nations is viable and that you have good people at the United Nations doing a good job,” he said.

The centerpiece of the Board of Peace initiative centers on stabilizing and rebuilding Gaza.

Trump announced a $10 billion U.S. commitment to the Board of Peace. Additional pledges included:

• $1.2 billion from the United Arab Emirates

• $1 billion from Saudi Arabia

• Over $1 billion from Qatar

• Roughly $7 billion combined from other participating nations

Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Albania, and Turkey pledged troops for an International Stabilization Force, though Israel has stated it would reject Turkish forces entering Gaza.

Kazakhstan committed scholarships for 500 Gazan students, while Romania pledged medical care for 4,000 sick children and their families.

In total, commitments from non-U.S. nations approach $7 billion, according to Trump, signaling significant global buy-in.

Trump also declared that the war in Gaza is over and issued a stark warning to Hamas.

“If they don’t give up their weapons, they will be very harshly met,” he said.

The president framed the initiative as an opportunity to transform Gaza into what he described as “an example of success and safety and unity.”

The Board of Peace, he argued, brings together “a tremendous group of powerful people” capable of conceiving solutions traditional institutions have failed to produce.

The United Nations was founded in 1945 with 51 member states. Today, it includes 193 countries. Despite its global reach, the organization has faced mounting criticism over bureaucratic inertia, controversial peacekeeping missions, and gridlock within the Security Council.

Trump’s new Board of Peace signals a more assertive U.S. posture not abandoning the UN, but seeking to reshape it.

With billions pledged and dozens of nations involved, the initiative could mark a significant shift in how international peacekeeping and reconstruction efforts are organized.

Whether the Board of Peace succeeds where the UN has struggled remains to be seen. But one thing is certain Trump has thrown down a gauntlet, and the global establishment is now on notice.

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