Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUN / CHILDREN TECHONOLOGY EDUCATION IN CONFLICT
STORY: UN / CHILDREN TECHONOLOGY EDUCATION IN CONFLICT
TRT: 05:15
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 02 MARCH 2026, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UN Headquarters
02 MARCH 2026, NEW YORK CITY
2. Various shots, US First Lady Melania Trump’s arrival
3. Various shots, US First Lady, Member States representatives, photo-op
4. Various shots, US First Lady, Security Council
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“Globally, one in every five children is living in or fleeing a conflict zone. This adds up to 473 million children. Grave violations against children verified by the United Nations increased by a staggering 25 percent from 2023 to 2024. Rape and other forms of sexual violence rose by 35 percent. These horrific figures should impel us to do more to protect children in conflict.”
6. Med shot, US First Lady, USG for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“Education in conflict zones is lifesaving and life-sustaining. And yet, schools, teachers and education infrastructure continue to suffer violence. In 2024 alone, the United Nations verified a total of 2,374 attacks on schools and hospitals. Many more are unverified, due to lack of access. Most attacks in 2024 took place in Ukraine, Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory and Haiti.”
8. Wide shot, Security Council
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“The challenges of providing quality education in conflict situations are tremendous. Infrastructure, from electricity to classrooms to digital connectivity, is often crumbling, or at risk. Educators are few and far between; we face a shortage of 44 million teachers in conflict settings. Digital learning can offer access to education when schools are closed or inaccessible, or when students are fleeing violence. The UN has made a concerted investment in these approaches.”
10. Wide shot, Security Council
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, United Nations:
“We must strengthen legal and policy frameworks to protect the rights of the child in the digital space, in line with international human rights law. Technology companies have a particular role to play in providing safeguards to their users, especially children and young people. Unfortunately, funding for education in emergencies has dropped by 24 percent, even though needs are increasing. We call on Member States to do more to meet funding gaps in education.”
12. Wide shot, Security Council
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Melania Trump, First Lady, United States:
“My heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their heroes, who sacrificed their lives for freedom. Their bravery and dedication will always be remembered. I extend my earnest wishes for a swift and smooth recovery to all those who have been injured. You are in my thoughts and prayers during these challenging times.”
14. Wide shot, Security Council
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Melania Trump, First Lady, United States:
“The path to peace depends on us taking responsibility to empower our children through education and technology. Conflict arises from ignorance; acknowledge creates understanding, replacing fear with peace and unity. Security Council members, I encourage you to pledge to safeguard learning in our communities and promote access to heightened education for all. I implore you to build a future generation of leaders who embrace peace through education.”
16. Pan right, Security Council
The Security Council held a meeting on children, technology, and education in conflict. First Lady of the United States Melania Trump and the UN chief for political affairs Rosemary DiCarlo were among the speakers.
Addressing the Security Council today (2 Mar) DiCarlo reported, “Globally, one in every five children is living in or fleeing a conflict zone. This adds up to 473 million children. Grave violations against children verified by the United Nations increased by a staggering 25 percent from 2023 to 2024. Rape and other forms of sexual violence rose by 35 percent. These horrific figures should impel us to do more to protect children in conflict.”
She continued, “Education in conflict zones is lifesaving and life-sustaining. And yet, schools, teachers and education infrastructure continue to suffer violence. In 2024 alone, the United Nations verified a total of 2,374 attacks on schools and hospitals. Many more are unverified, due to lack of access. Most attacks in 2024 took place in Ukraine, Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory and Haiti.”
She said, “The challenges of providing quality education in conflict situations are tremendous. Infrastructure, from electricity to classrooms to digital connectivity, is often crumbling, or at risk. Educators are few and far between; we face a shortage of 44 million teachers in conflict settings. Digital learning can offer access to education when schools are closed or inaccessible, or when students are fleeing violence. The UN has made a concerted investment in these approaches.”
She concluded, “We must strengthen legal and policy frameworks to protect the rights of the child in the digital space, in line with international human rights law. Technology companies have a particular role to play in providing safeguards to their users, especially children and young people. Unfortunately, funding for education in emergencies has dropped by 24 percent, even though needs are increasing. We call on Member States to do more to meet funding gaps in education.”
Also addressing the Council, Melania Trump, First Lady of the United States of America said, “My heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their heroes, who sacrificed their lives for freedom. Their bravery and dedication will always be remembered. I extend my earnest wishes for a swift and smooth recovery to all those who have been injured. You are in my thoughts and prayers during these challenging times.”
She concluded, “The path to peace depends on us taking responsibility to empower our children through education and technology. Conflict arises from ignorance; acknowledge creates understanding, replacing fear with peace and unity. Security Council members, I encourage you to pledge to safeguard learning in our communities and promote access to heightened education for all. I implore you to build a future generation of leaders who embrace peace through education.”
The United States, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency for March, decided to have the First Lady chair the meeting.
Meetings are usually chaired by the UN ambassador or senior governmental official of the country holding the presidency.
While there have been instances of First Ladies taking part in Security Council meetings, today is the first time a First Lady is presiding over one.
