In a historic precedent, Melania Trump will chair a Security Council meeting next Monday

The White House said that First Lady Melania Trump, wife of US President Donald Trump, will chair a meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Monday, in light of the United States assuming the rotating presidency whose members rotate on a monthly basis.

The First Lady’s office said in a statement issued yesterday, Wednesday, that Melania Trump will focus during the meeting on education as a means to promote tolerance and consolidate world peace, marking the first time that an American first lady and her husband in office will chair a session of the 15-member council.

President Trump is known for his sharp criticism of the United Nations since his first term in the White House, and he believes that the international organization, which includes 198 members, is ineffective and in need of reforms.
However, last week he adopted a more conciliatory tone during the first meeting of the Peace Council, an initiative that he says aims to resolve conflicts at the global level. Many world leaders expressed reservations about the initiative amid fears that its goal is to replace the United Nations.

Trump said on February 19: “The Peace Council will roughly supervise the United Nations and make sure it is working properly… We will work to strengthen the United Nations. We will make sure that its facilities are good… We will provide it with financial support, and we will make sure that the United Nations has the capabilities to survive.”