U.S. First Lady Melania Trump is scheduled to chair a U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday focused on the impact of conflict on children, a cause she has long championed — amid heightened tensions following the U.S.’s involvement alongside Israel in airstrikes on Iran, the AP reported.
According to the United Nations, she will become the first wife of a world leader to occupy the presidential seat on the Security Council, the body responsible for maintaining international peace and security.
Melania Trump was able to take over the role when the United States takes over the rotating presidency of the Security Council in March. Traditionally, heads of state, prime ministers or foreign ministers hold the gavel on the council.
The AP reported that the rotating chairman of the 15-member council chooses the topic and participants for some meetings. Monday’s meeting, which was scheduled before Saturday’s war, is officially called “Children, Technology and Education in Conflict.” The first lady’s office said she would “emphasise the role of education in promoting tolerance and world peace”.
Melania Trump will be scrutinized for anything she says or doesn’t say about the impact of her husband’s war on children.
A raid on a girls’ school in Iran
Iranian state media reported that an airstrike hit a girls’ school in southern Iran on Saturday, killing at least 165 people and injuring dozens more. The Israeli military said it was not aware of any attacks in the area. The US military said it was investigating the reports, the AP reported.
The last council meeting on Saturday was an emergency session marked by intense debate, called in response to the war. António Guterres condemned the US and Israeli airstrikes as a violation of international law and the UN Charter.
He also criticized Iran’s retaliatory strikes, saying they violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries in the Middle East.
Melania Trump supports Ukrainian children
Last summer, Melania Trump made the unusual decision to send a letter to Vladimir Putin ahead of his summit with her husband. She later said that the aid helped secure the return of several children who had been separated from their families during the Russo-Ukrainian war.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 resulted in Ukrainian children being taken to Russia to be raised there. Volodymyr Zelenskyy has since appealed to world leaders to help reunite these children with their families.
The first lady presides at a time of strained relations between the US and the UN
Trump has criticized the UN and withdrawn the US from major UN organizations, including the World Health Organization and cultural agency UNESCO, while withdrawing funding from dozens of others. The US has also failed to pay its dues and owes the UN billions of dollars.
This caused a financial crisis at the UN, with Guterres warning in late January that the world body faced “imminent financial collapse” unless its financial rules were overhauled or all 193 member countries failed to pay their dues.
Asked if Melania Trump’s appearance was a positive sign for U.N.-U.S. relations, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said it showed “the importance the United States feels toward the Security Council and the topic,” the AP reported.
