The Vatican will not participate in President Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’, citing the UN’s role in managing global crises and concerns over the initiative’s evolution.
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican has confirmed it will not participate in US President Donald Trump’s proposed ‘Board of Peace’.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican’s secretary of state, stated the position on Tuesday.
He emphasised that the United Nations remains the primary body for managing international crises.
“For us, there are… some critical issues that should be resolved, let’s say,” Parolin said.
“That is, at the international level, it is above all the UN that manages these crisis situations,” he insisted.
The board was initially conceived to oversee a Gaza truce and post-war reconstruction.
Its stated purpose has since expanded to resolving various international conflicts.
This shift has raised concerns it could become a rival to the existing UN system.
Trump launched the initiative at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January.
At least 19 countries have since signed its founding charter.
Permanent membership reportedly carries a cost of $1 billion per country.
The invitation extended to Russian President Vladimir Putin has also drawn significant criticism.
Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, an ongoing conflict.