Britain will not participate in Thursday’s signing ceremony for US President Donald Trump’s proposed “Board of Peace” in Davos, UK foreign minister Yvette Cooper has said, citing unresolved legal and political concerns.
Trump is set to host the ceremony on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum for the founding charter of the body, which is intended to help resolve international conflicts. Permanent membership of the Board of Peace is reported to carry a price tag of $1 billion.
“There’s a huge amount of work to do, we won’t be one of the signatories today,” Cooper told BBC television from the Swiss resort town. She said the UK’s decision was influenced by concerns over the inclusion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose forces have continued fighting in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022.
“Because this is about a legal treaty that raises much broader issues, and we do also have concerns about President Putin being part of something which is talking about peace, when we have still not seen any signs from Putin that there will be a commitment to peace in Ukraine,” Cooper added.
Board of Peace plan raises unease among US allies
Invitations to join the initiative had earlier been sent to dozens of world leaders, despite the grouping remaining loosely defined. While the project was initially conceived as a mechanism to oversee Gaza’s reconstruction, the charter does not appear to restrict its scope to the enclave.
The broader mandate has fuelled unease among some US allies, including France, with critics suggesting the body could seek to rival the United Nations. Trump said on Wednesday that Putin had agreed to join the Board of Peace, although the Kremlin has stated it is still studying the invitation.
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