United Nations, March 3 : US First Lady Melania Trump sent aloft the idea of â??a single digital nation-state" as she became the first spouse of a sitting head of a country to wield the gavel at the Security Council.

â??Is a single digital nation-state inevitable?â?? she asked in her speech before the Council on Monday.

â??Perhaps this idea isnâ??t so far-fetched since digital currency and payment systems via blockchain, plus AIâ??s massive factual database is already revolutionising media and financial marketsâ??, she said.

â??We are in the age of imagination â?? a period when technology can be free and unrestricted by land bordersâ??, she said.

Before she entered the Council chamber, the permanent representative of all the 15 members of the Council lined up to greet her, a rare honour that even heads of state do not normally get.

She presided over the Council in the first open session after the US took over its rotating presidency for the month on Sunday.

US Permanent Representative Mike Waltz did not hold the traditional briefing that heads of delegations convene for the media on the first working day to explain the goals of their presidency and outline the monthâ??s agenda.

After calling the meeting to order, Trump first spoke on behalf of her country and then resumed the task of president.

There were no heated confrontations or calls on point of order at the Council session, where courtesy prevailed.

With the usual rancour set aside, even Russiaâ??s Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia told her, â??We are grateful to you for convening this briefing on such an important topicâ??.

Speaking softly with a touch of her native Slovenia in her accent, she said, â??Enduring peace will be achieved when knowledge and understanding are fully valued within all societiesâ??.

â??A nation that makes learning sacred protects its books, its language, its science, and its mathematics â?? it protects its futureâ??, she said. â??This leads to something powerful â?? to greater understanding, moral reasoning, and tolerance of others. Peace.â??

The topic was â??Children, Technology and Education in Conflictâ??, but in her speech, she did not refer to Iran, where the conflict started on Saturday when her country and Israel bombed that nation, or Gaza, or Ukraine, for whose children she has been advocating.

The only hint came in a sentence addressed to all the children of the world: â??I hope soon, peace will be yoursâ??.

She repeatedly emphasised what she said was the role of education and knowledge in ensuring global peace and understanding.

â??Now is the time for our generation to elevate our children above ideology through access to wisdomâ??, she said.

Some points of difference with the US were aired at the meeting.

Franceâ??s Permanent Representative Jerome Bonnafont spoke of his countryâ??s efforts to protect children online, which President Donald Trumpâ??s administration has criticised.

It has even threatened action against France and the European Union, calling their efforts â??censorshipâ?? directed against US companies.

Saying it was a â??collective responsibility to protect our young people by promoting a secure digital spaceâ??, Bonnafont said, "In this regard, France has been a leader at the national and European levelsâ?? through laws.

To protect children from online pornography, "France decided to restrict the access of children under 15 to social networks to better protect them, because the digital space knows no bordersâ??, he said.

But he also praised Melania Trump for her efforts against cyberbullying, revenge porn and digital fakes.

She has waged a campaign to reunite children taken by Russia during the Ukraine War with their families in Ukraine, and made appeals to Kremlin leaders.

Nebenzia said the "alleged abduction of 20,000 Ukrainian childrenâ?? was a â??mendacious and disgusting disinformation campaign against Russiaâ??.

He asserted, â??We are working to reunite minors with their families with whom they have lost contact as a result of the conflict.â??

Former President Bill Clinton's wife, Hillary Clinton, has presided over Council meetings, not when she was the First Lady, but later in her own right as Secretary of State.

/IANS