U.S. President Donald Trump holds a founding charter signed during the “Peace Council” meeting at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos on January 22, 2026.
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US President Donald Trump was surrounded by world leaders as he declared the war in Gaza was “truly coming to an end” during a signing ceremony of his “Peace Council” for the territory.
But many countries are not represented, and Trump criticized Spain over its defense spending from the podium, saying “they want a free flight.”
The United Arab Emirates, Hungary and Pakistan were represented at the World Economic Forum ceremony in DavosSwitzerland, Thursday. The council is intended to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza.
This is who is on the board and participated in the signing event.
Isa bin Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Minister of the Prime Minister’s Court, BahrainNasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs of MoroccoJavier Milei, President, ArgentinaNikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of ArmeniaIlham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan Rosen Zhelyazkov, Prime Minister, BulgariaViktor Orban, Prime Minister, Hungary Prabowo Subianto, President, IndonesiaAyman Al Safadi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of JordanKassym-Jomart Tokayev, President, Kazakhstan Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, President of KosovoMian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of PakistanSantiago Peña, president, ParaguayMohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, President of QatarFaisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Saudi ArabiaHakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Türkiye Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, US special envoy for the United Arab EmiratesShavkat Mirziyoyev, President, UzbekistanGombojavyn Zandanshatar, Prime Minister of Mongolia A long list of countries, including Canada, France, Germany, Italy and other European countries, were absent at the signing, and some specifically rejected the invitation.
British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told the BBC on Thursday that “I will not be one of the signatories today”, citing concerns over Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invitation to join the group.
Spain did not send a representative to the signing, with an invitation to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to join “under consideration”, according to Spanish media.
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND – JANUARY 22: U.S. President Donald Trump waves his signature on the founding charter during a “Peace Council” signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 22, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.
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Putin received an invitation to join Trump’s peace group Monday and was “studying all the details of this proposal,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, but no representatives were present at the signing ceremony Thursday.
In an interview with CNBC on Wednesday, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that US administration reportedly meets with Putin over joining Peace Council. “We have to go meet him on Thursday. But it’s the Russians who are asking for this meeting,” Witkoff said.
France reportedly declined the invitation to join the board, as did Germany, according to a Spiegel report citing a Foreign Ministry document. “We need more time,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told public broadcaster RAI on Wednesday. “There is work to be done. However, my position certainly remains one of openness,” she said. according to a Reuters report.
Belgium has not signed either, indicated its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maxime Prévot, in a press release published Thursday X. “We want a common and coordinated European response. Like many European countries, we have reservations about this proposal,” she declared.
Sweden, Slovenia and Norway also declined the invitation, according to local media.
The Peace Council was approved by the United Nations Security Council in November last year. It was initially established to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, but now has a much broader mandate, including promoting global stability and resolving conflicts around the world.
A Gaza reconstruction plan is projected on screen after U.S. President Donald Trump presented the “Peace Council” at the World Economic Forum (WEF) January 22, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.
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Israel was not represented at the signing ceremony, but its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will join himaccording to reports.
Asked about the Peace Council on Wednesday, Mohammed Mustafa, the Prime Minister of the Palestinian National Authority, said: “We want to work with the Peace Council, with the executive council and with the committee, to ensure that they do their part.”
“But we also want to see our government institutions continue to … prepare for a reconstruction effort,” he said at a WEF event in Davos.
Last week, the The White House confirmed the creation of an “Executive Council”“to” operationalize the vision of the Peace Council.
These are the members of the Executive Board.
Marco Rubio, US Secretary of StateSteve Witkoff, US special envoy to the Middle EastJared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-lawSir Tony Blair, former British Prime MinisterMarc Rowan, CEO, ApolloAjay Banga, President of the World BankRobert Gabriel, security advisor — CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt and Sam Meredith contributed to this report.