UN clarifies mandate of Trump-proposed Board of Peace amid wider concerns

The United Nations has moved to clarify the mandate of the U.S.-led "Board of Peace", stressing that it has been authorized by the Security Council solely to supervise the next phase of the Gaza peace plan, amid growing questions over the body's broader ambitions.

The clarification came as the European Union, Russia, Belarus and Thailand were reported to be among the latest asked to join the proposed board.

Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, on Sunday told media that the Board of Peace proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump has been authorized "strictly" for work related to Gaza, underscoring that its remit does not extend beyond that scope.

Concerns have surfaced after a line in invitation letters from Trump said that the board would "embark on a bold new approach to resolving global conflict", prompting speculation that it could evolve into a rival mechanism to the United Nations.

"The UN has co-existed alongside any number of organizations, there are regional organizations, sub-regional organizations, various defense alliances around the world. 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," Haq said.

Trump announced the creation of the Board of Peace last week as the Gaza peace deal reached in October entered its second phase, which focuses on full demilitarization and reconstruction.

Over the past few days, multiple world leaders have reportedly received invitations to join the board. A draft charter attached to the invitations and obtained by several media outlets makes no direct reference to Gaza, instead outlining a broader vision for the body as a U.S.-controlled organization aimed at addressing conflicts and wars worldwide, a role the United Nations has played for decades.

China has also received an invitation from the United States, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday.

UN clarifies mandate of Trump-proposed Board of Peace amid wider concerns

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Tuesday that the European Union stands in full solidarity with Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark, stressing that their sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable.

In a special address at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, von der Leyen said the EU is preparing an Arctic security support package built on five pillars, including stepped-up investment in Greenland's economy and infrastructure and increased defense spending on European icebreaker capability.

Full solidarity with Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark is the first principle, and the sovereignty and integrity of their territory is non-negotiable, she noted.

Von der Leyen said the EU also plans to channel a major European investment push into Greenland to support the local economy and infrastructure, while using the bloc's defense spending increase to bolster European icebreaker capability and other equipment seen as vital to Arctic security.

She said Europe must adjust to a "new security architecture and realities" and is preparing its own security strategy, including an upgraded Arctic strategy, to be published later this year.

"And at the heart of this will be the fundamental principle: It is for sovereign people to decide their own future," she said.

Sovereignty, integrity of Greenland, Denmark's territory "non-negotiable": Ursula von der Leyen