United Nations and Global Conflict

By Dr. Arambam Noni Meetei | Department of Political Science, D.M. University, Manipur

Learners enrolled: 226

The United Nations is a global organisation. It was founded in the year 1945 after the devastating Second World war. As it was initially committed by 51 member states for global peace, development, social equity and setting human rights standards, the course is to train the UG students with old and new issues that confront an international organisation like UNO. The significance of UNO lays in the fact that today at least 193 member countries are on board. It is an apex body that has an overall supervisory role in ensuring freedom and rights across the borders. Its main organs like the General Assembly, Security Council, ECOSOC, etc., have been playing critical roles. Due to its critical nature of intervention, often it has faced conflicts with the member states. However, it is pertinent for students to know that a strengthened UNO is to ensure the interest of the weak and even the stronger nations; a win-win situation. It not only deals with global states, but also takes up disadvantaged issues and peoples’ rights. For instance, human rights in conflict zones, fair trial, speedy justice, freedom to dissent, protecting environment through sustainable development, etc.

Summary

Course Status :	Upcoming
Course Type :	Core
Language for course content :	English
Duration :	15 weeks
Category :	Political Science
Credit Points :	5
Level :	Undergraduate
Start Date :	07 Jul 2025
End Date :	31 Oct 2025
Enrollment Ends :	31 Aug 2025
Exam Date :
NCrF Level	5.0
Industry Details :	Teaching

Page Visits

Course layout

WEEK 1

The need for an international order
The scope of UNDHR
Peace and Ideologies
Objectives of UNO

WEEK 2

5. Liberal principles of UNO
6. Precedents of minority rights

7.1. UNO and Women’s rights

7.2 Adoption of UN Declaration and Convention of Women Rights

7.3 Role of CEDAW for promotion and protection of Women Rights

7.4 United Nations & Gender Based Violence Against Women
8. UNO, Media & Gender Stereotype

WEEK 3

9. UN & Gender Mainstreaming
10. UNO and Indigenous rights

11.1 Protection of minority under the UN charter

11.2 Role of the UN mechanism for promotion and protection of Minority rights
12. Structure of General Assembly and role

WEEK 4

13. Security Council: Its Structure Veto system and Security Council
14. Veto system and Security Council
15. Economic and Social Council
16. Contributions of ECOSOC

WEEK 5

17. Idea of ICJ
18. Landmark interventions of ICJ
19. Specialised agencies: Its importance
20. ILO: Structure and Role

WEEK 6

21. ILO: Issues and Labour rights
22. UNESCO: Main contributions
23. WHO: Issues and Contributions

24.1 WHO: Fighting Pandemics

24.2 The Shadow Pandemic and Violence Against Women

WEEK 7

25. UNICEF: Structure and Function
26. UNICEF and Child rights
27. UNDP and its Functions
28. UN Environment Programme and global climatic issues

WEEK 8

29.1 Refugee problems and UN

29.2 UNCHR: Refugee questions and stateless people’s rights
30. The UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR)
31. Peace Keeping: UN’s Role
32. Causes of Korean War

WEEK 9

33. Fallout of Korean War
34. Global Dynamic of Korean War
35. Korean War and UN
36. Korean crisis and arm race

WEEK 10

37. Vietnam War: Causes
38. USA and Vietnam war
39. Internal sovereignty and regional power struggle in Vietnam
40. Military alliances and ideological consequences

WEEK 11

41. Vietnam war: Hope and Despair
42. Afghanistan war: The cold war politics
43. Politics of Detente
44. Afghanistan and global power dynamics

WEEK 12

45. The rise of militancy in Afghanistan as a fallout
46. 9/11 attacks and Afghanistan
47. Balkan Conflict: Identity politics
48. The question of Serbs
49. The Bosnian dream

WEEK 13

50. Balkanisation: The Ethnicisation
51. The Human rights issues in Balkans
52. The issue of reforming UN
53. The issues raised by Global south
54. The problem of veto system

WEEK 14

55. Reforming the Security Council system
56. WHO and Critical claims
57. Demand for expanding security council
58. UN and lingering conflicts around the world
59. The question of Non-Self Governing territories

WEEK 15

60. UN and Climate change: Challenges and Prospects
61. Climate change and Responses of the Industrialised countries
62. Role of the developing countries and climate change

63.1 The Millennium Development Goals

63.2 The Millennium Development Goals

64.1 The Sustainable Development Goals: An Overview

64.2 The 17 Sustainable Development Goals

64.3 Sustainable Development goals and Disaster Risk Reduction

Books and references

Achieving Sustainable Development and Promoting Development Cooperation: Dialogues at the Economic and Social Council. Published by: Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination. United Nations: New York, 2008.
Finkielkraut, Alain 1988, The Undoing of Thought, translated by Dennis O’Keefe. London: Claridge Press. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, Report of the UN Secretary-General: Agenda for Peace, June 17, 1992, Geneva: UN.
Macartney, C. A. 1967, “League of Nations Protection of Minority Rights”. In Evan Luard (ed.), The international protection of human rights, New York: Praeger.
Howard Tolley, The U.N. Commission on Human Rights. Review by Roger S. Clark. The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 83, No. 1 (Jan., 1989), pp. 189-190; American Society of International Law.
Edgar Turlington, The United Nations Commission on Human Rights. The American Journal of International Law, Vol. 39, No. 4 (Oct., 1945), pp. 757-758. American Society of International Law

Instructor bio

Dr. Arambam Noni Meetei

Department of Political Science, D.M. University, Manipur

Dr. Arambam Noni Meetei is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Political Science, D. M. College of Arts, Imphal, D. M. University, Manipur. He has been teaching and actively involved in academic activities for the last 12 years. He has delivered numerous public lectures, television talks, radio talks and published articles and books of international repute.

His books include:
1. 'Colonialism and Resistance: Society and State in Manipur', Routledge, London, 2016.

2. '1949: The Story of India's Takeover of Manipur', CADM, Manipur, 2018. His second book has been reportedly one of highest selling books in Manipur.

Dr. Noni is presently the Editor, Alternative Perspectives - a quarterly academic journal since 2005.

Dr. Noni completed his Graduation from Delhi University, M.A. in political science from Jawaharlal Nehru University, and M. Phil from Delhi University. He completed his Phd from Centre for Political Studies, JNU, new Delhi.

Course certificate

Hi Everyone,

All courses offered by CEC in the July 2025 Semester reflect different grading policies and certificate criteria on their Course Pages. Please make it uniform for all courses and update the following criteria under the Course Certificate Section-

- Internal Assessment- Weekly assessments released in the course shall be considered for Internal Marks and will carry 30 percent for the Overall Result. Out of all weekly assignments, the best/top five scores will be considered for the final Internal Assessment marks.

- End-term Assessment - The final exam shall be conducted by NTA, and will carry 70 percent for the overall Result.

- All students who obtain 40% marks in the internal assessment and 40% marks in the end-term proctored exam separately will be eligible for the SWAYAM Credit Certificate.

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