First girl Melania Trump presides over the United Nations Safety Council at United Nations headquarters, Monday, March 2, 2026.
Angelina Katsanis/AP
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Angelina Katsanis/AP
UNITED NATIONS — U.S. first girl Melania Trump presided over a U.N. Safety Council assembly on Monday specializing in youngsters in battle, one among her signature points, and acknowledged she was doing so in “challenging times” as the USA has joined Israel in attacking Iran.
“The U.S. stands with all of the children throughout the world,” she mentioned, talking typically and never particularly in regards to the new struggle within the Center East. “I hope soon peace will be yours.”
Hanging over Monday’s assembly was what Iranian state media says was an airstrike that hit a women’ faculty in southern Iran, killing at the least 165 individuals and wounding dozens extra. The Israeli army mentioned it was not conscious of strikes within the space. The U.S. army mentioned it was wanting into the studies.
Shortly earlier than Monday’s session started, Iran’s ambassador to the U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, mentioned it was “deeply shameful and hypocritical” for the U.S. to convene a gathering on defending youngsters throughout battle whereas launching airstrikes on Iranian cities.
“For the United States, ‘protecting children’ and ‘maintaining international peace and security’ clearly mean something very different from what the U.N. Charter provides,” he informed reporters.
U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo mentioned the world physique was conscious of the studies of the deaths on the women’ faculty. She famous the influence the U.S.-Israeli strikes and the Iranian retaliatory strikes was having on youngsters throughout the area.
“We have been reminded of this truth over the last two days,” she informed the Safety Council. “Schools in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have closed and moved to remote learning owing to the ongoing military operations in the region,” she mentioned.
Melania Trump was the primary partner of a world chief to take the president’s seat on the United Nations’ strongest physique, which is charged with making certain world peace and safety, in keeping with the U.N.
The spouse of President Donald Trump was given the chance as the USA takes over the council presidency for the month of March. Prior to now, presidents, prime ministers and international ministers have usually wielded the gavel.
Speaker after speaker on Monday mentioned it was necessary to shut the digital divide between developed and growing nations so all youngsters have entry to twenty first century expertise.
Melania Trump strongly advocated for all youngsters to be linked to synthetic intelligence to assist them study in regards to the beliefs, customs and historical past of others. “AI is democratizing knowledge which was once confined to university libraries,” she mentioned.
Drawing a connection between information and peace, she urged members of the Safety Council to “safeguard learning.”
“Enduring peace will be achieved when knowledge and understanding are fully valued within all our societies,” she mentioned.
US has lower funding to UN companies that defend youngsters
Whereas the primary girl spoke of a necessity to guard youngsters and their entry to training and expertise in battle, her husband’s administration has lower funding for plenty of U.N. companies and different worldwide organizations that deal with these points.
Amongst them is the U.N. Workplace of the Particular Consultant of the Secretary Common for Kids in Armed Battle, which supplies detailed reporting on the influence that conflicts have on youngsters all over the world. This info might help set off motion to stop rape and violence towards ladies and youngsters. President Trump withdrew U.S. assist in January.
The U.S. has additionally dramatically lower funding for the U.N. youngsters’s company, UNICEF, and has withdrawn from the U.N. Instructional, Scientific and Cultural Group, UNESCO.
DiCarlo informed the council the world is going through the very best variety of armed conflicts since World Warfare II. “The number of civilians killed in these conflicts is the highest in decades,” she mentioned. “Our reality is clear: When conflicts erupt, children are among those most severely affected.”
The primary girl arrived at U.N. headquarters in a motorcade and was greeted by U.N. Secretary-Common Antonio Guterres. She shook fingers with every of the 15 Safety Council members and posed for a bunch picture.
The rotating president of the council will get to decide on the topic and individuals for some conferences. Monday’s assembly was scheduled earlier than the struggle started.
The council’s final assembly, on Saturday, was a contentious emergency session known as in response to the beginning of the struggle. Guterres condemned the U.S. and Israeli airstrikes as violations of worldwide regulation, together with the U.N. Constitution. He additionally condemned Iran’s retaliatory assaults for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries within the Mideast.
Melania Trump’s assist of Ukrainian youngsters
Melania Trump took the weird step final summer time of writing a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier than his summit together with her husband and later introduced that the trouble had led to a bunch of kids displaced by the Russia-Ukraine struggle being reunited with their households.
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 resulted in Russia taking Ukrainian youngsters out of their nation in order that they could possibly be raised as Russian. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has lobbied world leaders for assist reuniting households.
