Overview
- The UN chief told Politico the organization is working "actively" with structures set up by the Board of Peace to finance and carry out rebuilding of homes and infrastructure in Gaza, a goal he said the Security Council has endorsed.
- Guterres stressed the board should not extend into broader political roles, calling anything beyond reconstruction a personal project of President Trump and insisting any peace effort adhere to international law and UN Charter values.
- UNRWA’s outgoing head Philippe Lazzarini warned in a published letter that the agency’s survival is in doubt, and that a collapse would shift humanitarian responsibilities in Gaza to Israel.
- He noted UNRWA has faced prolonged funding shortfalls, the United States froze its contributions in January 2025 after Israeli allegations against some staff, and no permanent successor is in place before his March 31 departure.
- The Board of Peace, founded in September 2025 with Trump as lifetime chair and a $1 billion fee for membership, has few major democracies on board, and insiders say it recently presented Hamas with a disarmament proposal as its Gaza envoy touted a framework requiring full demilitarization.