Trump not a fan of UN, Melania to chair Security Council — a global first for spouse of world leader – Firstpost

US First Lady Melania Trump is all set to lead a session of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday as the US assumes the body’s rotating monthly presidency. According to a statement released by the White House, the first lady plans to spotlight education as a tool for fostering tolerance and promoting global peace at the global body, which has its headquarters in New York.

The session Melania will be leading is titled”Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict”. This will mark the first time the first lady of a sitting American president would be leading over the 15-member council, and kicks off the first session to mark the United States’ latest stint presiding.

“Mrs Trump’s leadership will mark the first time a sitting US first lady presides over the Security Council, as members consider education, technology, peace, and security,” The White House said in the statement. The meeting scheduled for March 2 is expected to include the US ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, fellow security council representatives and other international participants.

“We are thrilled to have @Flotus gavel in the US Presidency of the Security Council,” Waltz said in a post on social media. In the past, the American first lady has focused on efforts to secure the return of children allegedly taken by Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Why it matters

In October, Melania announced that some Ukrainian children seized by Russians had been reunited with their families, a cause she has supported during her husband’s second term. It is pertinent to note that, typically, Security Council meetings are chaired by a nation’s UN ambassador or a senior cabinet official.

While the former first ladies, such as Eleanor Roosevelt, held influential positions within the UN, none have presided over council meetings. Interestingly, Roosevelt held influential positions within the UN. Interestingly, former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt helped draft the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, one of the key documents of the United Nations.

The move comes amid Trump’s growing hostility towards the UN. He has often labelled the organisation as “ineffective” and called for sweeping changes, while also withdrawing the US from several UN-affiliated agencies, including the World Health Organisation and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a foundational international agreement to address the climate crisis.

With inputs from agencies.