US First Lady Melania Trump launched a global coalition of nations committed to promoting children’s wellbeing through education and technology on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Hosting several of her fellow first ladies and first gentlemen at the Lotte New York Palace, Trump told them that the Fostering The Future Together coalition’s mission is “to ensure that every child can flourish in the digital era.”
“Since technology is evolving at a pace that exceeds lawmaking, we must identify simple solutions to protect our children’s ingenuity. Remember, our next generation will use tech to revolutionize how we live, travel, design, and connect,” she said.
According to a White House press release, each participating country will be represented by the spouse – or equivalent representative – of its head of state.
Its inaugural meeting will take place at the White House early next year – with improving children’s access to innovative education technologies, increasing collaboration with the private sector, and addressing the risks and advantages of artificial intelligence among her priorities in the project’s initial phase.
Trump previously expressed her concern for the rights of children by writing a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which her husband personally delivered during last month’s Alaska summit – in which she reportedly appealed to the Russian leader to end the mass abduction and transfer of Ukrainian children to Russia.
First Lady Olena Zelenska – who was among those present at Tuesday’s event – subsequently wrote her a letter of thanks which President Volodymyr Zelensky presented to her husband at the White House on Aug. 18.
Although the US first lady rarely ventures into politics in public, she has an apparently keen interest in Ukraine.
During a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on July 14, the US president suggested that her views had informed his perception of Putin.
“I go home, I tell the first lady, ‘You know, I spoke to Vladimir today, we had a wonderful conversation. She said, ‘Oh really? Another city was just hit.’”