Trump’s Board Of Peace Meet: India was an “observer” at the first official meeting of the Board of Peace on Gaza, an initiative launched by US President Donald Trump, on Thursday, February 19. The Indian representative at the meeting was Namgya Choden Khampa, the Chargé d’Affaires at the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC. This is the first time India has interacted with the Board, although it is not a member of the Board as yet.
India did not attend the launch of the Board on January 22 in Davos, Switzerland, where President Trump launched the initiative as a platform that would bring long-term stability to Gaza and possibly solve other global conflicts.
Who Is Namgya Khampa?
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Namgya C Khampa is an Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer of the 2000 batch.
As of February 2026, she is the Chargé d’Affaires (Cd’A) and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Washington, DC. In this capacity, she is the head of the mission in the absence of an ambassador and handles critical diplomatic business between India and the United States.
Prior to her current assignment, Khampa was the High Commissioner of India to Kenya, where she is trying to enhance the diplomatic, economic, and development relationship. In 2023, while she was in Kenya, she was also accredited as the Ambassador of India to Somalia, with her residence in Nairobi.
Khampa also served at the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations in New York from 2009 to 2013. During this time, she was elected as a member of the United Nations Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) from 2011 to 2013. She also represented India on the Executive Boards of UNDP and UNFPA.
At the MEA headquarters in New Delhi, she has dealt with India’s relations with the United States, Sri Lanka, and Myanmar. From 2016 to 2018, she was on deputation to the Prime Minister’s Office. Between 2018 and 2020, she headed the Development Partnership Division, which dealt with India’s grant assistance and development cooperation with neighboring countries.
Khampa holds Master’s and MPhil degrees in International Relations.
What Is Trump’s Board of Peace?
President Trump started the Board of Peace at the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, saying that “everyone wants to be a part” of this project. He also said that the Board of Peace could become a competitor to the United Nations in the future.
The Board of Peace was supposed to oversee the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. However, US officials said that the Board of Peace would be used for more than just Gaza, according to Trump’s plans.
Who Attended the Board of Peace Meeting?
The first meeting was organized at the US Institute of Peace in Washington. Delegates from almost 50 countries participated in the meeting.
Among these, 27 countries are full members of the Board. These are Azerbaijan, Belarus, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UAE, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
Other participants, such as India and the European Union, were present in the meeting as observers.
India’s Position on the Board of Peace Meeting
However, the fact that India has accepted the invitation to participate in Thursday’s meeting through its Chargé d’Affaires indicates that it is willing to engage with the initiative, even though it is not yet ready to become a full member. This is a cautious and open diplomatic strategy that India is using as it weighs the role and future direction of the Board.
