First Lady Melania Trump will preside over a United Nations Security Council meeting on Monday, becoming the first sitting U.S. first lady to do so in the body's history. The session, scheduled for 3 p.m. ET at UN headquarters in New York, will focus on "Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict," highlighting education's role in promoting tolerance and global peace.

The White House announced the news on Thursday, coinciding with the United States assuming the Security Council's monthly rotating presidency for March. The presidency rotates alphabetically among the council's 15 members, with the United Kingdom holding it in February and Bahrain scheduled for April. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz expressed enthusiasm, stating on social media that he was "thrilled to have @FLOTUS gavel in the US Presidency of the Security Council."

A source close to the first lady described the event as a "groundbreaking achievement," noting that it aligns with her ongoing mission to empower children through education and technology. Trump has long championed children's issues, including her "Be Best" initiative from President Donald Trump's first term, which addressed online safety. In 2025, she supported the Take It Down Act, signed into law to combat nonconsensual explicit imagery online, and launched a nationwide Presidential Artificial Intelligence Challenge to foster innovation among students.

She has also engaged in international child welfare, writing a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2025 calling for the return of Ukrainian children displaced by the war and announcing reunions of some affected families in October of that year.

UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric called the appearance a first not just for a U.S. first lady but for any spouse of a world leader presiding over the council. He described it as "a sign of the importance that the United States feels towards the Security Council and the subject." U.N. political chief Rosemary DiCarlo is expected to brief on behalf of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The move comes amid a complex U.S.-UN relationship. President Trump has criticized the organization as ineffective, withdrawing from bodies like the World Health Organization and UNESCO, and cutting funding for certain UN programs. The U.S. currently owes nearly $4 billion in dues, though it recently paid $160 million. Trump recently outlined plans for a "Board of Peace" to oversee and strengthen the UN.

Melania Trump has maintained a relatively low public profile during her husband's second term but produced a documentary in January 2026 and released an AI-narrated audiobook of her memoir in multiple languages. Ambassador Mike Waltz, a former Green Beret, praised her advocacy, saying peace prevails where "children are taught and not terrorized."

The meeting underscores the first lady's focus on leveraging technology and education to address conflicts affecting children worldwide.