Melania Trump presides at UN Security Council meeting : NPR
First lady Melania Trump chairs the United Nations Security Council at United Nations Headquarters, Monday, March 2, 2026.
Angelina Katsanis/AP
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Angelina Katsanis/AP
UNITED NATIONS — U.S. first lady Melania Trump on Monday chaired a U.N. Security Council meeting focused on children in conflict, one of her signature issues, and acknowledged she was doing so in “challenging times” as the United States joined Israel in attacking Iran.
“The United States stands with all children around the world,” she said, speaking generally and not specifically about the new war in the Middle East. “I hope there will be peace for you soon.”
Monday’s meeting was suspended over an airstrike that Iranian state media said hit a girls’ school in southern Iran, killing at least 165 people and injuring dozens more. The Israeli military said it was not aware of any strikes in the area. The US military said it was studying the information.
Shortly before Monday’s session began, Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, said it was “deeply shameful and hypocritical” for the United States to convene a meeting on protecting children during conflict while 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 United Nations Charter envisions,” he told reporters.
U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo said the world body was aware of reports of deaths at the girls’ school. She highlighted the impact of US-Israeli strikes and Iranian retaliation on children in the region.
“We have been reminded of this truth over the past two days,” she told the Security Council. “Schools in Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman have closed their doors and moved to distance learning due to ongoing military operations in the region,” she explained.
Melania Trump was the first wife of a world leader to hold the president’s seat at the United Nations’ most powerful body, charged with ensuring global peace and security, according to the UN.
President Donald Trump’s wife had this opportunity as the United States assumes the presidency of the Council for the month of March. In the past, presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers have often wielded the gavel.
Speakers said Monday it was important to bridge the digital divide between developed and developing countries so that all children have access to 21st century technology.
Melania Trump has strongly advocated for all children to be connected to artificial intelligence to help them learn about the beliefs, customs and history of others. “AI democratizes knowledge that was once confined to academic libraries,” she said.
Linking knowledge to peace, she urged Security Council members to “safeguard the learning.”
“Last peace will be achieved when knowledge and understanding are fully valued within all our societies,” she said.
US cuts funding to UN agencies that protect children
While the First Lady has spoken of the need to protect children and their access to education and technology in times of conflict, her husband’s administration has cut funding to a number of United Nations agencies and other international organizations that deal with these issues.
Among them is the Office of the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, which provides detailed reports on the impact of conflict on children around the world. This information can help trigger actions to prevent rape and violence against women and children. President Trump withdrew U.S. support in January.
The United States also slashed funding for the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, and withdrew from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.
DiCarlo told the Council that the world was facing the greatest number of armed conflicts since World War II. “The number of civilians killed in these conflicts is the highest in decades,” she said. “Our reality is clear: when conflicts erupt, children are among the most seriously affected. »
The first lady arrived at UN headquarters in a motorcade and was greeted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. She shook hands with each of the 15 members of the Security Council and posed for a group photo.
The rotating chair of the board chooses the topic and participants for certain meetings. Monday’s meeting was planned before the war began.
The council’s final meeting, Saturday, was a controversial emergency session called in response to the outbreak of war. Guterres condemned the US and Israeli airstrikes, calling them violations of international law, including the United Nations Charter. He also condemned Iran’s retaliation for violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Middle Eastern nations.
Melania Trump’s support for Ukrainian children
Melania Trump took the unusual step last summer of writing a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin before her summit with her husband and later announced that the effort helped reunite a group of children displaced by Russia’s war with Ukraine with their families.
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 led Russia to remove Ukrainian children from their country so they could be raised as Russians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been pressuring world leaders to help reunite families.
