Trump's Davos peace board: Every BRICS nation was invited, except South Africa
US President Donald Trump launched his Board of Peace yesterday.
Image: The White House
South Africa has emerged as the only BRICS country that was not asked to join Donald Trump’s newly launched Board of Peace.
Trump formally launched the Board of Peace on Thursday, during a signing ceremony at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
The other major members of the BRICS bloc have yet to confirm whether they will join the board.
The initiative, which Trump chairs, is billed as a global body to help solidify the ceasefire in Gaza and promote broader conflict resolution – with Trump being quoted as saying it could operate “in conjunction” with the United Nations.
At the Davos event, Trump was flanked by representatives of countries that have agreed to join the board, including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Bahrain, Morocco, Pakistan, Turkey, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Hungary, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Mongolia and Vietnam.
Major Western powers such as the United Kingdom, France, Norway and Sweden refused to sign on, and countries such as India and China have yet to commit publicly.
Despite invitations going out to at least 50 world leaders, South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa, said he had not been invited to participate in the Board of Peace and was not present in Davos.
In the post on X by @newslivesa, Ramaphosa said he was focusing on domestic priorities such as the ANC Lekgotla and the State of the Nation. He said he is “not even checking my inbox” for an invitation.
The omission comes amid broader strains in relations between Pretoria and Washington.
South Africa has faced exclusion from the 2026 G20 summit in Miami, with Trump and his administration accusing South Africa of having racist empowerment and land expropriation laws.
Trump has also described violence against white farmers as if it were a systematic, racially motivated campaign to destroy them – a form of “genocide”.
The South African government has rejected these claims as unfounded and punitive.
President Cyril Ramaphosa had not been watching his inbox for an invite to join US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace.
Image: @newslivesa
A search of international news items indicates that South Africa is the only BRICS member not to have been invited to join the board:
Brazil
Not confirmed as participating in the Board of Peace at this time. There’s no reliable report showing Brazil has publicly accepted or joined. Most western and emerging powers outside the Middle East/Asia haven’t confirmed participation yet.
Russia
Invited to join Trump’s Board of Peace, but has not publicly confirmed acceptance. Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged receiving the invitation and said it was still under consideration, not that Russia was joining.
India
India received an invitation but did not attend the launch in Davos and has not publicly committed to joining so far.
China
China was formally invited to join the Board of Peace, but has not yet said whether it will accept or decline.
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