Understanding conflict and conflict analysis (UNV.2016.010)
Conflicts and wars have been recurrent throughout history. In 2010, over 300 conflicts have affected the lives of millions of individuals around the world. Despite their different occurrences, conflicts have common characteristics and working mechanisms. Only by analyzing the causes, actors and specific dynamics, conflicts can be efficiently mediated. To this end, conflict analysis is a vital source of information as it helps actors on the ground to gain a better comprehension of the environment in which they work and of their role in preventing the escalation of tensions.
The goal of the course is to provide participants with an overview of the key elements of conflict analysis and how these can be integrated into the context of pre-intervention assessment and planning of a peace operation.
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Identify potential and existing conflict causes as well as possible factors contributing to peace;
- Map out the actors that are engaged in or affected by conflict;
- Trace conflict dynamics;
- Analyze the interaction between the specific context and current/future interventions.
The course is composed of five modules that will be covered over five weeks:
- Module 1: Causes of conflict
- Module 2: Actors in conflict
- Module 3: Dynamics of conflict
- Module 4: Integrating conflict analysis in the planning of a peace operation
- Module 5: Good practices and evaluation in conflict analysis
The number of estimated hours required to complete the course is 45, which means a workload of 9 hours on average per week.
The course is based on the synergy of theory and practice. The conceptual foundations of confict analysis are explained through illustrated narratives and interactive lessons. These concepts will be applied in scenario-based activities. During these scenarios students will apply various conflict analysis tools and evaluate their strenghts and weaknesses. Students can also continuously check their progress through self-assessment activities. In order to create collective knowledge and to facilitate interaction and experience sharing among participants, discussion forums are organized.
Taking advantage of the opportunities of technology-enhanced learning, the learning materials are presented through various media, such as text, graphs, images and video material, which contribute to better retention and enhance the learning process.
Facilitators guide participants through this process, delivering and conveying information, clarifying doubts and supporting participants through different activities.
The course is open exclusively to United Nations Volunteers, holding a valid contract. Please note that a verfication will be carried out by UNVs Programme prior to the beginning of the course. Only those participants for whom possession of a valid contract is confirmed will be enrolled in the course.
No reimboursement will be possible for participants who enroll without a valid UNV contract.
Technical Requirements
- Minimum hardware and software requirements:
- Platform: Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT, ME, XP or superior; MacOS 9 or MacOS X.
- Hardware: 64 MB of RAM, 1 GB of free disk space.
- Software:
- Adobe Acrobat Reader (download for free at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html).
- Adobe Flash Player (download for free at http:/get.adobe.com/flashplayer)
- Microsoft Office (Windows or Apple version) or Open Office (download for free at http://www.openoffice.org )
- Browser: Internet Explorer 8 (download for free at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internetexplorer/worldwide‐sites.aspx; works better with Firefox 3.6 or higher (download for free at http://www.mozilla‐europe.org/en/firefox). Note JavaScript & Cookies must be enabled.
- Modem: 56 K
The course Introduction to Peace Operations has been awarded the 2012 international Open ECBCheck Standards.