U.N. has coexisted with other bodies, spokesperson says on Trump’s Gaza Board of Peace Today World News

With U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace on Gaza being seen as a rival, a United Nations spokesperson said the world body has “coexisted” alongside various global institutions and would wait to see “what sort of relationship” it has with the U.S.-led initiative.

“The U.N. has coexisted alongside any number of organisations. There are regional organisations, subregional organisations, and various defence alliances around the world,” Farhan Haq, Deputy Spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said.

“Some of them, we have relationship agreements with. Some of them, we don’t. We would have to see in terms of details what the Board of Peace becomes as it actually is established to know what sort of relationship we would have with it,” he said.

Mr. Haq was responding to questions on Monday (November 19, 2026) at the daily press briefing on the Board of Peace for the redevelopment of Gaza announced by Trump and for which the U.S. president has extended invitations to world leaders to join.

When asked whether the Secretary-General has received any invitation to be on the Board, Mr. Haq said, “I’m not aware of any communication that we’ve received on any of this.”

On the $1 billion price tag required for a country to be on the Board as a permanent member, Mr. Haq said, “We’ve seen these reports. We can’t confirm this… Obviously, different groupings have their own rules, their own bylaws, and so forth. We don’t comment on other groups and their rules.”

Trump at WEF

Mr. Trump will deliver a special address to the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos on Wednesday (January 21), when he will also participate in a greeting with the Forum’s leadership, meet foreign leaders and attend a reception with business leaders.

On Thursday, on the margins of the World Economic Forum, Mr. Trump will participate in the “Board of Peace Charter announcement”, where nations would be invited to sign the charter, joining the body aimed at Gaza’s redevelopment under his comprehensive plan to end the conflict.

Mr. Trump has invited several global leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to join the Board of Peace, seen as a rival to the United Nations, that will work towards bringing lasting peace to Gaza and embark on a “bold new approach” to resolve “global conflict”.

Guterres to skip Davos summit

Mr. Guterres, who is currently in Switzerland, has cancelled his planned trip to the Swiss Alps town of Davos due to a “bad cold”, Mr. Haq said.

“The secretary-general is currently near Geneva, Switzerland, where he is meeting with his special and personal representatives and envoys. Following these meetings, he will return to New York and has cancelled his planned trip to Davos due to a bad cold,” Mr. Haq said.

He added that the Board of Peace has been “strictly” authorised by the Security Council for its work on Gaza.

“We’re not talking about the wider operations or any of the aspects that have been in the media for the last several days. What we’re talking about is the work on Gaza,” he said.

“As you know, we have welcomed the ceasefire in Gaza and measures to support it, including the Board of Peace, and we’ll continue to work with all parties on the ground to make sure that the ceasefire is upheld.

“That is about Gaza. The larger aspects are things for anyone wanting to participate in this grouping to consider. Obviously, the U.N. has its own Charter, its own rules, and you can do your own compare and contrast between the respective organisations,” Mr. Haq said.