US President Donald Trump kicked off his new 'Board of Peace' at Davos on Thursday, with a signing ceremony for a body with a US$1 billion membership fee and a controversial list of invitees.

A group of leaders and senior officials from 19 countries -- including Trump allies from Argentina and Hungary -- gathered on stage with Trump to put their names to the founding charter of the body.

Trump -- who is the chairman of the Board of Peace -- said they were "in most cases very popular leaders, some cases not so popular. That's the way it goes in life."

Originally meant to oversee peace in Gaza after the war between Hamas and Israel, the board's charter envisions a wider role in resolving international conflicts, sparking concerns that Trump wants it to rival the United Nations.

Trump, however, said the organisation would work "in conjunction" with the UN.

Key US allies including France and Britain have expressed skepticism, with the UK saying Thursday it would not attend the ceremony.

The members on stage largely held close ties to Trump, including Hungary's Viktor Orban and Argentina's Javier Milei.

Officials from Bahrain, Morocco, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Mongolia also signed the document with Trump.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an International Criminal Court arrest warrant over the war in Gaza, had said he would join but was not at the ceremony.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the ceremony that the board's focus was "first and foremost on making sure that this peace deal in Gaza becomes enduring." (AFP)