Singapore assessing US invitation to join Board of Peace: MFA

Leaders from some 60 countries, including Singapore, have received an invitation to join a US-led "Board of Peace" initiative that would initially aim to end conflict in Gaza but then be expanded to tackle conflicts elsewhere. 

In response to media queries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) confirmed on Tuesday (Jan 20) that Singapore has received an invitation.

"The Singapore Government has received an invitation from the US to join the Board of Peace and is currently assessing the invitation," a spokesperson from MFA said.

What is the Board of Peace?

Reuters on Monday reported that the board would be chaired for life by US President Donald Trump. 

Other names on the board include US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff, former British prime minister Tony Blair and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kusher, according to a White House announcement on Friday. 

The Board of Peace will also include private equity executive and billionaire Marc Rowan, World Bank President Ajay Banga and Robert Gabriel, a Trump adviser, the White House said, adding that Nikolay Mladenov, a former UN Middle East envoy, will be the high representative for Gaza. 

Four sources on Saturday told Reuters that the leaders of France, Germany, Australia and Canada were among those invited to sit on the Board.

Hungary, whose leader is a close Trump ally, has reportedly given an unequivocal acceptance in response to the invitation.

In November 2025, the United Nations Security Council voted to adopt a US-drafted resolution endorsing Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza, including authorising an international stabilisation force for the Palestinian enclave.

The mandate for a Board of Peace was only through 2027 and solely focused on the Gaza conflict. 

However, a copy of the board's draft charter reportedly reads that the board would start by addressing the Gaza conflict and then be expanded to deal with other conflicts, Reuters reported.

It is not clear how the expanded mandate - envisioned in Trump's Board of Peace - would coexist alongside the United Nations' work. 

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editor@asiaone.com