MULTILATERAL: The ‘Board of Peace’ & more – 27th Jan 2026

Saluton from BA! This is the Rorshok Multilateral Update from the 27th of January twenty twenty-six. A summary of what's going down in the world's major multilateral institutions.

First this week, on Thursday the 22nd, US President Donald Trump said he’d secured a deal through NATO that would give the United States open-ended access across Greenland, saying allies must pitch in more on Arctic security to counter Russia and China.

Trump softened his tone, walking back earlier tariff threats and insisting no force would be used, which helped lift some markets. Denmark and Greenland, though, stressed their territorial rights aren’t for bargaining, and key parts of the arrangement still need detailed negotiation.

On Friday the 23rd, European Union leaders met after President Trump backed off his threats over Greenland but made it clear they’re keeping a close eye on what comes next. While they welcomed the U-turn on tariffs and pressure, EU officials openly questioned Trump’s new Board of Peace, unsure about its goals and how it would operate, and many countries aren’t keen to join.

Trump has floated the idea of a Board of Peace made up of advisers and officials to help broker negotiations and pressure parties in conflicts like Ukraine and the Middle East. It is not a formal government body, but a proposed advisory circle intended to support deal-making.

In the World Economic Forum in Davos, on Wednesday the 21st, Annalena Baerbock, UN General Assembly President, warned that the United Nations is facing direct challenges. She said divisions between member states are growing, making it harder for countries to act on shared principles.

Baerbock stressed that the UN gives every country an equal voice and called its founding charter a kind of global safety net. Her comments came as Donald Trump was criticized for his plans tied to the new Board of Peace, which some see as competing with the UN’s role.

More on the UN, as on Thursday the 22nd, United Nations agencies said they’re now running huge detention camps in northeastern Syria that house tens of thousands of people connected to the Islamic State, after Kurdish-led forces pulled back amid fighting in the region. The camps hold mainly women and children from Syria, Iraq and other countries, and security is fragile with limited access for U.N. teams due to intense safety concerns.

Still in the Middle East, on Wednesday the 21st, Lebanon has started putting into action its long-planned pension overhaul under a law passed in late twenty twenty-three that sets up a full retirement system for private sector workers. Officials from the Labour Ministry, the National Social Security Fund and the International Labour Organization met to map out the technical steps ahead. The aim is to strengthen institutional capacity and make sure this major reform rolls out smoothly.

On Thursday the 22nd, the U.N. The World Food Programme (or WFP) warned that funding shortfalls mean it will sharply scale back food and nutrition aid in northeastern Nigeria, with support dropping to only about 72,000 people in February from over a million last year. The WFP says almost 35 million Nigerians could face severe hunger during this year’s lean season if money doesn’t arrive, as ongoing violence has driven displacement and destroyed crops.

The WFP works to deliver emergency food aid in conflicts, disasters, and humanitarian crises, while also supporting nutrition for children, refugees, and vulnerable communities. It also helps countries build resilience through school feeding, cash assistance, and programs that strengthen local food systems.

Meanwhile, on Monday the 19th, the UN High Commission for Refugees said that even though money has been cut back sharply, its teams still dealt with a wide range of very difficult emergencies around the world last year.

According to the agency’s report, staff stepped in to support people uprooted by new and ongoing conflict, including by delivering essentials like clean water and emergency cash in places such as Sudan and Afghanistan. The report highlights that despite fewer resources and rising needs, the office kept operations running to help millions facing displacement.

Since we mentioned Sudan, on Monday the 19th, the International Criminal Court told the U.N. Security Council that its latest review of Darfur shows clear evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity tied to fighting there, especially after the Rapid Support Forces seized the city of El Fasher late last year. Investigators say satellite, video and other material reveal patterns of abuse similar to earlier atrocities elsewhere in the region.

Next up, on Thursday the 22nd, the International Organization for Migration said its teams are stepping up life-saving efforts across Mozambique after weeks of heavy rain and flooding forced hundreds of thousands from their homes. More than half a million people have been hit, with tens of thousands now living in temporary centers where shelter, clean water, food, hygiene services and health support are in short supply.

The Organization is working with the government to track who’s displaced, improve crowded sites, and coordinate with partners, but officials say more funding and resources are urgently needed.

Going back to the UN for a second, on Monday the 19th, its Development Programme announced it will move a significant chunk of its New York-based workforce out of the city as part of a major staffing shift. Nearly 400 positions will be transferred, with about three-quarters headed to Bonn, Germany and the rest to Spain.

Staff of the United Nations Development Programme are usually based in country offices across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, where they work directly with national governments and local partners. A smaller number are located in regional hubs and at headquarters in New York, focusing on strategy, policy, and global coordination.

On Friday the 23rd, California announced it will become the first U.S. state to join a global health network run with the United Nations’ World Health Organization after the United States officially left the organization. Governor Gavin Newsom said the move will let California work with hundreds of institutions in the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network to spot and respond to emerging public health threats alongside international partners.

For context, the conflict between Newsom and Trump has been intensifying, with Newsom representing progressive California policies and Trump attacking them as symbols of liberal overreach. Their feud has played out through lawsuits, public insults, and policy battles over immigration, climate rules, COVID-19 response, and federal versus state power.

Meanwhile, in Asia: On Thursday the 22nd, the Philippines, as the current head of the Association of South East Asian Nations, said it wants to broaden diplomatic engagement with groups opposing Myanmar’s military rulers, even as a contested general election continues there.

Officials made clear they won’t officially back the ballot and have not sent observers, but are encouraging more dialogue with ethnic and political stakeholders to push forward the Association’s stalled peace plan.

On Tuesday the 20th, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney used his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos to argue that the traditional international system of norms, laws, and liberalism is breaking down, urging middle-power nations to work together as global competition intensifies. Carney said powerful countries are increasingly using economic pressure and leverage, and he called for a new approach based on shared values and cooperation.

Finishing off this episode, British columnist Andy Beckett wrote an op-ed for The Guardian published on Friday the 23rd, arguing that the biggest strategic threat facing the UK might soon come less from historic rivals like Russia and more from its traditional ally, the US, particularly under Donald Trump’s unpredictable presidency.

Beckett says that while British institutions and politicians still focus on old-school security concerns, public opinion is shifting as tensions with Washington grow over trade, law and foreign policy. He urges the U.K. establishment to rethink long-standing assumptions about the special relationship with the U.S. rather than dismissing rising unease.

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

See you next week!