February 18, 2026 | 06:58 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Vatican has stated that it will not participate in the Trump-backed Board of Peace, according to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Holy See's top diplomatic official on Tuesday, February 17, 2026.
As reported by TRT World, Parolin said the Holy See would not take part due to its "particular nature, which is evidently not that of other States."
According to Arab News, Parolin also emphasized that the management of global crises should be under the mandate of the United Nations. “For us, there are... some critical issues that should be resolved, let’s say,” he said. "That is, at the international level, it is above all the UN that manages these crisis situations. This is one of the points on which we have insisted."
Expansion of the Board of Peace Mandate
The Board of Peace was introduced by Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos last January. Initially, the peace council was designed to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza and the reconstruction of thewar-torn enclave.
Over time, the mandate of the peace council has expanded to become a forum for addressing various international conflicts. The council is directly led by Trump and is scheduled to hold its inaugural meeting in Washington on Thursday, February 19, 2026, to discuss the reconstruction of Gaza.
At least 19 countries have signed the charter to establish the council. The invitation to President Vladimir Putin of Russia, whose country invaded Ukraine in 2022, has sparked criticism.
The Board of Peace is said to consist of close allies of the United States in Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, and Latin America. Italy and the European Union have stated that they will attend as observers because they have not joined the board.
Mexico Declines Full Membership
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has also stated that her country will not be joining the Board of Peace as a full member, citing the lack of Palestinian representation as the reason.
“Given that we recognize Palestine as a state, it’s important that both states, Israel and Palestine, participate. It isn’t set up that way,” she said at a press conference last Tuesday. She stated that Mexico will send its ambassador to the UN as an observer.
“They invited us to attend as observers; if we were not going to participate, then to attend as observers. And together with the foreign minister, we decided that our ambassador to the United Nations would attend as an observer,” she said.
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