Melania Trump became the first spouse of a sitting world leader to preside over a United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday, urging member states to protect children's access to education. The session, titled Children, Technology and Education in Conflict, came days after Iranian state media reported an airstrike killed at least 165 people at a girls' school in southern Iran.
Speaking at the council's horseshoe table in New York, Trump said: 'The US stands with all of the children throughout the world. I hope soon peace will be yours.' She argued that education is fundamental to preventing conflict, stating: 'A nation that makes learning sacred protects its books, its language, its science and its mathematics. It protects its future.'
The first lady also advocated for artificial intelligence as a tool to connect remote regions to knowledge, but did not address the reported school strike or the ongoing war. The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in the area, and the US military said it was looking into the reports.
Iran's UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, called it 'deeply shameful and hypocritical' for Washington to convene a meeting on protecting children while launching strikes on Iranian cities. The US holds the council's rotating presidency for March, and child welfare is known to be Trump's top issue.
Her appearance came amid strained US-UN relations, with President Donald Trump withdrawing from several UN bodies and allowing dues to go unpaid. A UN spokesperson said her presence demonstrated the importance the US feels towards the Security Council and the subject. Trump concluded by imploring members to 'build a future generation of leaders who embrace peace through education.'
