UN chief says he is working with Board of Peace, but dismisses need for it outside of Gaza mandate

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivers a statement during a media conference at the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres delivers a statement during a media conference at the EU summit in Brussels, Belgium, March 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Omar Havana)

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres says he is “actively” cooperating with US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace despite his criticisms of the organization.

“There is an objective there that was defined, approved by the Security Council, and we are cooperating actively with structures created by the Board of Peace,” Guterres says in an interview with Politico.

He welcomes Donald Trump’s Board of Peace’s aim of funding and delivering the basics of a Gaza reconstruction plan to rebuild Palestinian homes and infrastructure.

But beyond those goals, Guterres says he sees no need for the board.

“Everything else now is a personal project of President Trump, in which he has full control of everything,” he says. “This is not the effective way to address the dramatic problems that we have now. We need to be clear about international law, to be clear about the values of the Charter of the United Nations. That is essential in any peace initiative.”

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