Singapore 'currently assessing' invitation from US to join Trump's 'board of peace'
The US government has asked various world leaders to sit on the board, which will be chaired by President Donald Trump.
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SINGAPORE: The Singapore government has received an invitation from the United States to join President Donald Trump's "board of peace" and is currently assessing it, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said on Tuesday (Jan 20).
According to a draft charter for the "board of peace" seen by news agencies on Monday, the US government has asked various world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, to sit on the board.
It will be chaired by Trump.
Member countries - represented on the board by their head of state - would be allowed to join for three years, with a permanent spot given to nations only after a US$1 billion contribution.
The board will "convene voting meetings at least annually", and "each member state shall have one vote", it added.
While all decisions require "a majority of member states present and voting", they will also be "subject to the approval of the chairman, who may also cast a vote in his capacity as chairman in the event of a tie".
US members of the board will include Secretary of State Marco Rubio, envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner.
It was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, but its charter does not appear to limit its role to the occupied Palestinian territory.
The White House said there would be a main board, a Palestinian committee of technocrats meant to govern devastated Gaza and a second "executive board" that appears designed to have a more advisory role.
"The board of peace is an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict," the charter said.
POTENTIAL MEMBERS
The Associated Press reported that the US is expected to announce its official list of members in the coming days, likely during the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland.
The initial reaction from two key allies, France and Canada, was lukewarm.
"At this stage, France cannot accept," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Monday during a debate with French lawmakers, noting that the board's charter goes beyond the scope of rebuilding and running post-war Gaza endorsed by the United Nations.
He added that it is "incompatible with France's international commitments and in particular its membership in the UN, which obviously cannot be called into question under any circumstances".
France is one of the five veto-wielding, permanent members of the UN Security Council, along with the US, China, Russia and Britain.
A Canadian government source said Ottawa will not pay to be on the board, and has not gotten a request to pay, after Prime Minister Carney indicated he would accept an invitation to join.
Morocco's king accepted Trump's invitation to become a founding member of the board, its foreign ministry said on Monday.
Morocco welcomes the second phase of Trump’s comprehensive peace plan, as well as the official creation of the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza as a temporary transitional body, the ministry said in a statement.
Germany thanked Trump for the invitation and said that it will primarily examine what contribution Berlin can make towards the goal of a lasting resolution to the Gaza conflict.
A German government spokesperson in Berlin said that the government does not share concerns about Trump's board possibly undermining the UN.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday that Britain has signalled its willingness to play a role in the second phase of a ceasefire in Gaza, when asked about the board at a press conference.
According to Reuters, Israel and Poland have also been invited to join the board.
A professor of international affairs told AFP that the offer of permanent membership for US$1 billion showed Trump is "trying to turn it into a pay-to-play alternative to the UN Security Council, but where Trump alone exercises veto power".
SINGAPORE "NOT CAMPAIGNING"
In October 2025, Singapore's Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said that the country was not campaigning for a seat on the "board of peace".
“Let me take a step back and remind everybody this: We are Singaporeans. Our approach is always to do more, say less, be quietly helpful and constructive, work from the ground up," he said in response to a parliamentary question.
"So that's why we're not asking to sit on any boards, but we will step up our longstanding cooperation with the Palestinian Authority.”
Dr Balakrishnan added that beyond the Singapore Cooperation Programme, which was created in 1992 to help developing countries and regions grow, Singapore has also been engaging the Palestinian Authority with meetings at the senior levels.
For instance, the Palestinian prime minister has been here, while Singapore’s prime minister has been there, said Dr Balakrishnan, adding that he has also been there himself several times.
“We will customise specific programmes that are relevant for them, but they will take the lead on which programmes they are interested in and how Singapore can best address their needs,” he said.
He added that such an “understated, more discreet, behind-the-scenes, helpful, respectful approach” is more appropriate for Singapore.
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