Melania Trump Presides At U.n. Security Council Meeting On Children In Conflict

UNITED NATIONS — First Lady Melania Trump presided complete a United Nations Security Council gathering connected Monday focusing connected children successful conflict, 1 of her signature issues, and acknowledged she was doing truthful astatine “challenging times” arsenic nan United States has joined Israel successful attacking Iran.

“The U.S. stands pinch each of nan children passim nan world,” she said, speaking mostly and not specifically astir nan caller warfare successful nan Middle East. “I dream soon bid will beryllium yours.”

Hanging complete Monday’s gathering was what Iranian authorities media opportunity was an airstrike that deed a girls’ schoolhouse successful confederate Iran, sidesplitting astatine slightest 165 group and wounding dozens more. The Israeli subject said it was not alert of strikes successful nan area. The U.S. subject said it was looking into nan reports.

Shortly earlier Monday’s convention began, Iran’s ambassador to nan U.N., Amir Saeid Iravani, said it was “deeply shameful and hypocritical” for nan U.S. to convene a gathering connected protecting children during conflict while launching airstrikes connected Iranian cities.

“For nan United States, ‘protecting children’ and ‘maintaining world bid and security’ intelligibly mean thing very different from what nan U.N. Charter provides,” he told reporters.

U.N. governmental main Rosemary DiCarlo said nan world assemblage was alert of nan reports of nan deaths astatine nan girls’ school. She noted nan effect that nan U.S.-Israeli strikes and nan Iranian retaliatory strikes were having connected children crossed nan region.

“We person been reminded of this truth complete nan past 2 days,” she told nan Security Council. “Schools successful Israel, nan United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman person closed and moved to distant learning owing to nan ongoing subject operations successful nan region,” she said.

Melania Trump was nan first spouse of a world leader to return nan president’s spot astatine nan United Nations’ astir powerful body, which is charged pinch ensuring world bid and security, according to nan U.N.

The woman of President Trump was fixed nan opportunity arsenic nan United States takes complete nan assembly presidency for nan period of March. In nan past, presidents, premier ministers and overseas ministers person often wielded nan gavel.

In her address, Melania Trump said “peace does not person to beryllium fragile.”

“Enduring bid will beryllium achieved erstwhile knowledge and knowing are afloat weighted wrong each our societies,” she said, urging members of nan Security Council to “safeguard learning.”

U.S. has trim backing to U.N. agencies that protect children

While nan first woman said of a request to protect children and their entree to acquisition and exertion successful conflict, her husband’s management has trim backing for a number of U.N. agencies and different world organizations that reside these issues.

Among them is nan U.N. Office of nan Special Representative of nan Secretary General for Children successful Armed Conflict, which provides elaborate reporting connected nan effect that conflicts person connected children astir nan world. This accusation tin thief trigger action to forestall rape and unit against women and children. President Trump withdrew U.S. support successful January.

The U.S. has besides dramatically trim backing for nan U.N. children’s agency, UNICEF, and has withdrawn from nan U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO.

DiCarlo told nan assembly nan world is facing nan highest number of equipped conflicts since World War II. “The number of civilians killed successful these conflicts is nan highest successful decades,” she said. “Our reality is clear: When conflicts erupt, children are among those astir severely affected.”

The first woman arrived astatine U.N. office successful a motorcade and was greeted by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. She shook hands pinch each of nan 15 Security Council representatives and posed for a group photo.

The rotating president of nan assembly gets to take nan taxable and participants for immoderate meetings. Monday’s gathering was scheduled earlier nan warfare began.

The council’s past meeting, connected Saturday, was a contentious emergency convention called successful consequence to nan commencement of nan war. Guterres condemned nan U.S. and Israeli airstrikes arsenic violations of world law, including nan U.N. Charter. He besides condemned Iran’s retaliatory attacks for violating nan sovereignty and territorial integrity of nations successful nan Mideast.

Melania Trump’s support of Ukrainian children

Melania Trump took nan different measurement successful nan summertime of penning a missive to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier his acme pinch her hubby and later announced that nan effort had led to a group of children displaced by nan warfare successful Ukraine being reunited pinch their families.

Putin’s penetration of Ukraine successful 2022 resulted successful Russia taking Ukrainian children retired of their state truthful they could beryllium raised arsenic Russians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has lobbied world leaders for thief reuniting families.

Lederer and Amiri constitute for nan Associated Press.