What to Know
The US First Lady, Melania Trump, is to chair a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York on Monday. The meeting of the most powerful UN body is scheduled to begin at 3 pm (2000 GMT) and will focus on children, technology and education in conflict situations, according to the White House.
The spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres called the move “a sign of the importance the United States attaches to the Security Council and the issue at hand.”
Melania Trump will be the first wife of a US president ever to chair such a meeting.
The United States takes over the rotating presidency of the most important UN body in March, which involves chairing the meetings. UN ambassadors or government representatives usually lead the meetings of the 15-member body.
The appearance comes against the backdrop of tense relations between President Donald Trump’s administration and the United Nations.
UN figures suggest the US owes the organization billions of dollars.
At the same time, Trump has repeatedly criticized it as “ineffective,” has withdrawn the US from several UN institutions and international agreements, and most recently presented his own initiatives such as the Board of Peace.
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dpa; (TNS) | ©2026 dpa GmbH. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
