Kindness sparks peace: Trump gathers members of Board of Peace for first meeting, with some U.S. allies wary Updated February 19, 20263:09 PM ET By Michele Kelemen , Aya Batrawy President Trump, flanked by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, joins leaders for a group photo during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington on Thursday. President Trump, flanked by Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, joins leaders for a group photo during the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace in Washington on Thursday. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images President Trump convened the first meeting of the Board of Peace Thursday morning in Washington, D.C. Trump created the group to oversee his ceasefire plan in Gaza, and announced Thursday that member states have pledged $7 billion for reconstruction in Gaza. He also said the U.S. would contribute $10 billion to the Board of Peace. Representatives of more than 40 countries gathered at the U.S. Institute of Peace — a building that now bears Trump's name. In opening remarks, Trump credited his Secretary of State Marco Rubio for taking over the building. The Board of Peace is chaired by Trump and the group was formally established last month. Sponsor Message What to know about President Trump’s Board of Peace State of the World from NPR What to know about President Trump's Board of Peace Trump addressed a room full of heads of state and top diplomats. The meeting included dignitaries from countries including Argentina, Hungary, India, Pakistan and Vietnam. Meanwhile, other countries such as the United Kingdom, which have not joined the board out of concerns that Russia could be part of this new group, sent observers to the meeting. Israel and Arab states are part of this board and they too had representatives at the meeting. There is no Palestinian representative on the board. "This is the most prestigious board ever put together. You know, I've seen some great corporate boards. I've seen some great boards, period. It's peanuts compared to this board," Trump told the assembled dignitaries. Some fear Trump's new organization could be used to undermine the United Nations. On Wednesday, a U.N. Security Council meeting on Gaza was moved up in order to accommodate diplomats being able to attend both meetings. Trump acknowledged the possibility of a broader future role for the panel in his remarks Thursday. "Someday I won't be here, the United Nations will be, I think, is going to be much stronger. The Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly," Trump said, adding that they will be working "very closely" with the U.N. Sponsor Message "But we're going to strengthen up the United Nations. We're going to make sure it's facilities are good. They need help, and they need help money wise. We're going to help them money wise. And we're going to make sure the United Nations is viable, and you have some very good people that the United Nations can do a good job," he said. The Board of Peace meeting was convened as the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza that Trump pushed through last October remains fragile. Palestinian health officials say more than 600 people in Gaza have been killed in Israeli attacks since the ceasefire began, and the next steps of the plan are still unclear. Trump acknowledged the attacks but said the war was effectively over.