The 56th World Economic Forum (WEF) wrapped up in Davos, Switzerland, with U.S. President Donald Trump signing the founding charter for a new international initiative called the Board of Peace. He portrayed the body as a platform for conflict resolution and post‑conflict reconstruction, with initial focus areas including Gaza and Ukraine. Trump emphasized that the initiative would complement United Nations efforts, though several major U.S. allies declined active participation, reflecting lingering scepticism about the framework’s purpose and effectiveness.
The signing ceremony drew mixed reactions. While Trump framed the Board as a vehicle to channel aid and foster cooperation among participating states, critics pointed out that it lacked broad buy‑in from key Western powers and could duplicate existing multilateral peace mechanisms rather than strengthen them. The absence of key NATO and European leaders in the founding cohort underscored diplomatic divisions at the summit.
During Davos, Trump also held bilateral discussions on Ukraine, affirming U.S. intent to support peace talks involving Russia and Ukraine in the UAE, but stopped short of announcing any formal agreements. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pressed Europe to step up its response to Russian aggression. Both leaders highlighted the need for strategic security guarantees, though concrete steps remained under negotiation.
Beyond geopolitics, the forum also addressed economic resilience, climate risk, and AI governance, with business executives and political leaders stressing that economic uncertainty and geopolitical faultlines posed risks to global markets in 2026. Themes such as innovation, workforce shifts, and sustainable development continued to dominate discussions even as security issues stayed front and centre.
