When the United States takes over the U.N. Security Council’s rotating presidency for March, Melania Trump will preside over the council’s first meeting under that schedule next Monday afternoon, the United Nations said.
In remarks to reporters, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the event will be “the first time a first lady, or first gentleman for that matter, has ever presided over a Security Council meeting,” describing it as a sign of the importance the United States attaches to the Security Council and its agenda. He said the council session will take place as the first lady takes her seat in the president’s chair.
The council meeting will be officially entitled “Children, Technology, and Education in Conflict,” and the U.S. first lady’s office said it will “emphasize education’s role in advancing tolerance and world peace,” according to the United Nations.
Dujarric said Rosemary DiCarlo, the U.N. political chief, will brief the Security Council on behalf of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during the meeting presided over by Trump. The U.N. said the United States selected the subject for the “signature meeting” because the council presidency sets the agenda for such sessions.
The appointment arrives amid a backdrop of strain between Washington and the U.N. President Donald Trump has criticized the world body, and the U.S. has withdrawn from some U.N. organizations, including the World Health Organization and UNESCO, while reducing funding for others, the U.N. account said.
The United States also owes large sums to the United Nations. Until earlier this month, the Trump administration had not paid any mandatory dues for the U.N.’s regular operating budget for 2025 or for the current year, the report said, adding that it paid $160 million—about 4% of the nearly $4 billion owed overall for regular budget operations—while still owing more for U.N. peacekeeping.
The U.N.’s top official warned in late February that the organization faced “imminent financial collapse” unless financial rules are overhauled or member nations pay their dues, with the message directed at the United States, according to the account. The meeting announcement by the United Nations did not say how the financial dispute affects the Security Council schedule.
Trump has also raised concerns among allies that his ambitions for the Board of Peace could sidestep the Security Council in other global conflicts beyond Gaza. In response to those concerns during the first Board of Peace meeting last week, Trump said that “we’re going to make sure the United Nations is viable” and that “I think it’s going to eventually live up to its potential,” according to the report.
As for why the first lady will preside, Dujarric said the Security Council presidency gives the country holding the rotating seat the chance to set the subject for selected high-profile meetings. He described the role of the United States and the meeting topic as signals of the importance Washington places on the council.