First Ladies and First Gentlemen gather at inaugural Fostering the Future Together Summit to advance children’s education and digital safety

On 24–25 March, the inaugural Fostering the Future Together Summit, initiated by First Lady of the United States Melania Trump, took place in Washington, D.C. The event brought together First Ladies, First Gentlemen, members of royal families and other high-level representatives from 45 countries.

The summit stems from the global coalition announced by First Lady Melania Trump during the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, bringing together governments, technology leaders and international partners to expand educational opportunities for children while ensuring their safety in the digital environment.

Over the course of two days, participants explored four key themes shaping the future of education: artificial intelligence in learning, online safety and child protection, educational technologies (EdTech), and digital literacy. Representatives of leading technology companies, including Google, Meta, OpenAI and X, joined discussions on how innovation can improve access to education while safeguarding children’s rights and wellbeing.

Among the participants were representatives of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform, including its Founder, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, First Lady of Albania Armanda Begaj, First Lady of Estonia Sirje Karis, First Lady of France Brigitte Macron, First Lady of Guatemala Dr Lucrecia Peinado, First Lady of Lithuania Diana Nausėdienė, First Lady of Serbia Tamara Vučić, First Gentleman of Slovenia Dr Aleš Musar, and others.

As Founder of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform, First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska presented Ukraine’s experience in ensuring access to education through digital transformation. She highlighted the national Diia.Education platform, the Mriia educational ecosystem and the WINWIN AI Centre of Excellence as examples of initiatives expanding educational opportunities despite the challenges of war.

“Even in times of war, Ukraine continues to develop technological and digital solutions that expand educational opportunities. Building and protecting the future is only possible through development,” Olena Zelenska emphasised.

The summit also featured demonstrations of emerging technologies, including the Figure 3 humanoid robot, illustrating how artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of everyday life.

Presenting the technology, First Lady Melania Trump underlined the rapid evolution of AI:

“The future of AI is ‘personified’—it will be formed in the shape of humans. Very soon artificial intelligence will move from our mobile phones to humanoids that deliver utility.”

In closing the summit, participants reaffirmed the importance of international cooperation in ensuring that technological progress serves children’s education, safety and wellbeing. The initiative also encouraged continued collaboration between governments, educational institutions, civil society and the private sector to develop responsible approaches to innovation.

The themes explored during Fostering the Future Together closely reflect the priorities of the Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen Global Platform. In particular, the Fourth Summit featured a dedicated discussion on Child Safety in Cyberspace, while the Platform continues to bring together First Ladies and First Gentlemen to exchange experience on education, children’s wellbeing and the responsible use of modern technologies.