Melania Trump is poised to make history by presiding over a United Nations Security Council meeting, a significant first for a U.S. first lady.
The event, scheduled for Monday afternoon, will see her take the president’s chair, marking the inaugural instance of a first lady leading such a session, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.
With the United States assuming the rotating presidency of the 15-member council for March, Trump’s office confirmed the meeting would “emphasise education’s role in advancing tolerance and world peace.”
Children in conflict have been a signature issue for Trump, who previously wrote to Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of a summit with Donald Trump, an effort that reportedly led to children displaced by the Russia-Ukraine war reuniting with their families.
This engagement comes amidst ongoing criticism of the United Nations by Donald Trump, who has repeatedly stated the 193-member body has not lived up to its potential.
His administration has withdrawn the US from UN organizations, including the World Health Organization and UNESCO, and cut funding to numerous others.
The US also owes the United Nations billions of dollars. Until earlier this month, the Trump administration had not paid any of its mandatory dues for the UN’s regular operating budget for 2025 or this year.
It paid $160 million, about 4% of the nearly $4 billion it has owed the UN overall, including for UN peacekeeping operations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned last month of the organisation’s “imminent financial collapse” unless financial rules are reformed or all member nations pay their dues, a message widely seen as directed at the United States.
Concerns have also been voiced by allies regarding Donald Trump’s broader ambitions for his “Board of Peace” to intervene in global conflicts beyond Gaza, potentially bypassing the UN Security Council.
Pushing back against this criticism during the Board of Peace’s first meeting last week, Mr Trump stated, “we’re going to make sure the United Nations is viable” and expressed belief it would “eventually live up to its potential.” He added, “Someday, I won’t be here — the United Nations will be.”
Regarding Melania Trump’s role, Mr Dujarric described it as “a sign of the importance that the United States feels towards the Security Council and the subject.”
The nation holding the council presidency each month selects the theme for certain signature meetings.
Mr Dujarric confirmed that UN political chief Rosemary DiCarlo would brief the Security Council on behalf of the secretary-general at Monday’s meeting, officially titled “Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict.”
