World leaders show caution amid fears for UN
United States President, Donald Trump has asked countries to pay $1 billion for a permanent spot on his “Board of Peace” aimed at resolving conflicts.

The White House has asked various world leaders to sit on the board, chaired by Trump himself, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian premier Viktor Orban, and Canada’s Mark Carney.

Member countries — represented on the board by their head of state — would be allowed to join for three years, or longer if they contributed more than $1 billion within the first year, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the sum.

“Each Member State shall serve a term of no more than three years from this Charter’s entry into force, subject to renewal by the Chairman,” stated the board’s draft charter obtained by Bloomberg and other media.

“The three-year membership term shall not apply to Member States that contribute more than $1,000,000,000 in cash funds to the Board of Peace within the first year of the Charter’s entry into force.”

The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, but its charter, does not appear to limit its role to the Palestinian territory.

Governments reacted cautiously to Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” initiative aimed at resolving conflicts globally, a plan that diplomats said could harm the work of the United Nations (UN).

Hungary, whose leader is a close Trump ally, gave an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitations, which have been addressed to some 60 nations and began arriving in European capitals at the weekend.

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI yesterday accepted Trump’s invite as a founding member.

Canada indicated that it will join the Board but not pay $1b for permanent seat.