March 2nd (local time), at the United Nations headquarters in New York, Melania Trump chaired a session of the United Nations Security Council on the topic of protecting children in conflict - one of the issues she has repeatedly pursued.
Speaking to 15 members of the Security Council, she said this is a "challenging time", but affirmed: "The United States is on the side of all children in the world. I hope peace will soon come to them." She did not directly mention the newly broken conflict between the US - Israel and Iran.
However, a "cloud of war" enveloped the session. Iranian state media said an airstrike hit a girls' school in southern Iran, killing at least 165 people and injuring dozens. The Israeli military said it was unaware of the attack in the above-mentioned area, while the US military said it was checking reports.
Before the session began, Iranian Ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani criticized the US convening a meeting on child protection while conducting airstrikes on Iranian cities as "shameful and hypocritical".
He believes that Washington's understanding of "protecting children" and "maintaining international peace and security" is far from the spirit of the United Nations Charter.
UN Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo confirmed that the organization has recorded reports of casualties at schools in Iran, while emphasizing the impact of attacks and retaliatory measures affecting children throughout the region.
She said that many schools in Israel, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman had to close, switching to online learning due to ongoing military activities.
According to the United Nations, Melania Trump is the first wife of a head of state to take the chairmanship of the Security Council - the most powerful body of the United Nations on international peace and security.
This opportunity comes when the US takes on the rotating Presidency of the Council in March. Previously, the position of presiding judge was usually held by the president, prime minister or foreign minister.
The administration of President Donald Trump has recently cut funding for a number of UN agencies related to children. Among these is the Special Representative Office of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict - a unit providing detailed reports on the impact of war on children globally. The US withdrew its aid in January.
Washington also significantly cut the budget for UNICEF and withdrew from UNESCO - the United Nations body in charge of education, science and culture.
