Hello.

My name is Ms. Ikomi.

I'm a teacher from London, and I'm going to be taking you through today's lesson.

Let's get started.

Today's lesson is called, "What is the role of the UK in Global conflict resolution?" It is part of the wider unit, "How does the international community respond to global humanitarian problems?" By the end of today's lesson, you will be able to describe current global conflicts and outline the UK's response to those conflicts.

As today's topics could be seen as sensitive, we're going to discuss some ground rules for taking part in this lesson.

First of all, it's important to listen to others.

It's okay to disagree with each other, but we should listen properly before making assumptions or deciding how to respond.

When disagreeing, it's important that we challenge the statement, not the person.

We must respect privacy.

We can discuss examples, in a general sense, but please do not use names or descriptions that identify anyone, including yourself.

We listen without passing judgement.

We can explore beliefs and misunderstandings about a topic without fear of being judged.

And last, you can choose your level of participation.

Everyone has the right to choose not to answer a question or join in with the discussion.

We'll never put anyone on the spot.

Let's get started.

The key words we're going to hear in today's lesson are, conflict.

This is an active disagreement between people, groups, or countries, often involving armed force or violence.

Arms. This refers to weapons and military equipment, especially heavy weaponry such as guns, tanks, and aircraft.

Negotiation.

This is a process of discussion between parties with the aim of reaching a mutual agreement, often used to resolve disputes or prevent conflict.

We're going to begin by thinking about what are current global conflicts.

Jun's telling us, "Conflicts happen all over the world, even in our personal lives.

When disagreements are not resolved, they can escalate into conflict, but what causes global conflicts?" This is a really good question.

Conflicts have lots of causes, some examples of this might be economic reasons.

Countries or nations might be competing for a natural resource, like oil or water.

Political reasons, such as disagreements over how a country should be governed.

Religious disagreements.

Different groups might have opposing beliefs or practises.

These are just some of the causes of conflict.

Some conflicts begin as national issues, but they can grow into much larger international or even global problems. For example, a country might experience a political disagreement between different groups.

This disagreement develops into armed conflict, where arms are used.

At this point, it is still a national issue happening within that particular state.

Then this might slip into being international.

Neighbouring countries might support different sides, turning it into a regional conflict.

If other nations or international alliances get involved, the situation becomes a global conflict.

So we can see how one thing can lead into another, demonstrating why it's so important that lots of countries get involved to prevent this from happening.

Let's do a check of what we've learned so far.

True or false? Global conflicts are always about religion.

Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is false.

This is because conflict has lots of causes.

It might be about beliefs, and those beliefs might be political or religious.

It might also be about economic reasons, like how many natural resources a country has.

Major ongoing conflicts around the world, include the Russia-Ukraine War, the Israel-Palestine conflict.

These are not the only conflicts happening around the world, but they are significant due to the global impact that they're having and the attention that they receive in terms of international discussions.

The Russia-Ukrainian conflict has been going on for many years, it escalated in 2022 when Russia invaded Ukraine.

It is ongoing as of 2025.

Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe and the second largest country in Europe.

It borders Russia to the east and Poland to the west.

The capital city is Kyiv, and the country is led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

This conflict involves the use of arms and has led to ongoing international negotiations aimed at resolution, trying to resolve the conflict to stop it from going further.

In February, 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, justified the invasion with claims of "demilitarisation and de-nazification." He argued that Ukraine under NATO influence, that's the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, was a threat to Russia.

However, these claims have been widely disputed internationally.

In response, President Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was standing firm to defend its people, land and future.

The European parliament strongly criticised the invasion of Ukraine.

They stated that attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure breaks international humanitarian law.

It asked the European Commission, EU member states, and the United Nations to provide humanitarian assistance in Ukraine.

Sophia is saying, "How can a country just invade another one? This seems to have happened just out of the blue." Although it seems sudden, this full-scale invasion, this is a conflict that has been ongoing for many years.

Russia and Ukraine share a long and complex history.

In 2014, Russia invaded Ukraine and annexed the region of Crimea.

This sparked international condemnation, meaning that the international community saw this was a bad thing.

This event occurred at a time when Ukraine began shifting away from its historical ties with Russia and moving closer to Europe.

These developments were among several factors that contributed to rising tensions between the two countries, this preceded the 2022 invasion.

Let's do another check.

Which country was invaded by Russia in February, 2022? Is it, A, Poland, B, Estonia, or C, Ukraine? Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is, C, Ukraine.

The Russia-Ukrainian War is now in its third year.

While Russia has not released accurate figures for military fatalities, meaning people who have died whilst working within the military capacity, BBC research estimates that between 185,000 and 260,700 Russian military personnel have died.

Russia has faced significant sanctions from countries, which have impacted its economy.

Sanctions are where one country might put into place something against the other.

For example, saying that they're not going to trade with them.

These actions are part of a coordinated international effort to try and promote peace through diplomatic negotiation, so trying to talk about these issues and put into place peaceful measures to prevent the conflict from going further.

The UK has recently sanctioned companies involved in the supply chains of Russian weapon system.

The UK government says that this will protect Ukrainian lives and strengthen collective security by disrupting Russia.

Ukraine continues to experience significant impacts from this conflict.

Some of those impacts include that tens of thousands of civilians have been injured or killed as a result of continued bombing and the ongoing use of arms. Millions of people have been displaced from their homes.

Many have sought safety in other countries and have become refugees.

Critical infrastructure, especially the power grid has been severely damaged, rebuilding is expected to cost billions.

The war in Ukraine has also had other impacts globally, including other nations.

Food insecurity has continued to grow because Ukraine was a large wheat producer.

They've seen their exports disrupted by the conflict, so therefore there have been food shortages and rising prices in countries that would normally get their supply of wheat from Ukraine.

An energy crisis was intensified when the war reduced the supply of Russian gas, on which many European countries rely.

This caused energy costs to rise sharply.

These disruptions to food and energy supplies have contributed to a global rise in inflation, increasing the cost of living for millions.

It's really important to remember that conflict happening in one place can still have an impact on countries all over the world.

Global political tensions have also come about as a result of the conflict.

The conflict has increased tensions between NATO countries and Russia.

This has created regional and global insecurity.

While some progress has been made through international negotiation, the conflict continues to affect the global economy and political stability.

Let's do another check.

Which of the following best explains why the war in Ukraine has had a global impact? Is it, A, the conflict has affected global food and energy supplies and increased political tensions.

B, the war's only important to countries that share a border with Ukraine.

Or, C, many countries are interested in Ukraine's history and culture.

Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is, A.

Just as conflict in Ukraine has had far-reaching consequences, other regions around the world are also experiencing long-standing conflicts.

One such example is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which continues to have significant global implications.

This conflict is part of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but most recently has been referred to specifically as the Gaza War.

Palestine and Israel share borders with each other.

Palestine was previously ruled by the British Empire.

In 1948, British rule in Palestine ended.

The United Nations had proposed a plan to divide the land into a Jewish state and an Arab state.

Since the creation of Israel in 1948, there have been ongoing tensions between Israelis and Palestinians.

Over time, changes to borders and the building of Israeli settlements in areas that Palestinians also claim have led to more conflict.

As a result, the ongoing conflict, Palestine is now largely confined to two areas.

We can see a picture on the slide of these two areas, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The Gaza Strip is controlled by Hamas, a group that is involved in both politics and armed conflict.

The UK government has officially labelled Hamas as a terrorist organisation, meaning it's banned in the UK.

Let's do another check.

When was the state of Israel created? A, 1928, B, 1948, or, C, 1968? Pause your video and choose your answer.

The correct answer is B.

On October the 7th, 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and the abduction of approximately 250 Israeli hostages who were taken to Gaza.

In response, Israel launched a military operation.

Israeli forces entered Gaza with ground troops and carried out airstrikes.

The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated that there were two primary objectives of this military operation.

First, defeat Hamas.

Second to release hostages.

The current conflict escalated when Hamas was supported by Hezbollah, a political and militant group based in Lebanon.

In response, Israel launched military operations in parts of Lebanon, and carried out strikes against other Arab countries in the region.

Let's do another check.

Which group is in charge of Gaza, and invaded Israel on October the 7th, 2023? Is it, A, Hezbollah, B, ISIS, or, C, Hamas? Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is C.

It is difficult to gain fully reliable data during times of conflict.

One source, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, reports that the conflict in Gaza has had the following impacts as of May, 2025.

Approximately 50,000 Palestinians have reportedly been killed in Gaza, and over 118,000 injured.

1.

9 million people, 90% of the population, have been displaced.

Restrictions on aid means that essential food and water is not reaching the population who remain.

Israel has experienced increased rocket attacks targeting civilian areas, like towns and cities.

As of May, 2025, the BBC reported that dozens of Israeli hostages remain in Gaza, it's unclear if they are alive.

Laura is asking, "How have other nations responded to this conflict?" The conflict in Gaza has sparked serious political debate worldwide.

Some countries have stopped or limited arm sales to Israel due to civilian casualties in Gaza.

Other nations have continued to provide support to Israel.

the International Criminal Court, the ICC, has issued arrest warrants for both the Israeli Prime Minister and the leaders of Hamas, citing potential war crimes.

Let's do another check.

According to the UN Relief and Works Agency, how much of Gaza's population has been displayed so far? Is it, A, 50%, B, 90%, or, C, 75%? Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is, B, 90%.

We're going to put into practise what we've been learning so far.

I would like you to summarise one of the global conflicts that are currently happening in the world.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

I asked you to summarise one of the global conflicts currently happening.

You might have said, Russia invaded Ukraine in February, 2022.

President Putin claimed that the aim was to "demilitarise and de-nazify" the Ukrainian government, which have grown closer to Europe.

These claims have been widely disputed by other countries.

Ukraine is rich in resources, and exports wheat, and the conflict has led to rising global prices for food, fuel, and energy.

Western countries, such as the UK, have imposed sanctions on Russia, such as limiting weapons and military supplies.

As of May, 2025, many people have been displaced, injured, and killed, and although there have been attempts at negotiation, little progress has been made.

You might have done the other example.

The current conflict in Gaza is part of a long-running Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Tensions have continued for decades.

On October the 7th, 2023, Hamas launched an attack on Israel, killing civilians and taking hostages.

In response, Israel launched airstrikes and a ground invasion on Gaza.

The conflict has caused a major humanitarian crisis with many people in Gaza killed or displaced.

Access to food and water in Gaza has been severely limited due to restrictions on aid.

Some countries have responded by limiting armed sales to Israel while others have continued their support of Israel.

As of May, 2025, the conflict is ongoing with no clear end in sight.

Next, we're going to think about how has the UK responded to global conflicts.

Laura's asking, "How do different countries respond in these circumstances of global conflict?" Countries respond in different ways, and this really depends on how significant the conflict is to them.

Some conflicts such as those that are geographically close, are prioritised.

This is because if they escalate, that could directly affect the country.

Whether it means people are displaced into that nation or whether there ends up being fighting in a nation close by.

Other conflicts might be further away, but involve important allies or countries that have valuable resources that will directly affect another country.

Helping to resolve these conflicts can therefore reduce costs or protect strategic interests, so this may still be a priority.

Laura's asking, "How does the UK respond?" The UK is a member of several international organisations, that aim to help resolve global conflicts, one example is the UN, the United Nations.

The UN has found it difficult to take action in the Russia-Ukrainian conflict because Russia often vetoes votes at the Security Council, as it has a permanent seat.

Despite this, the UK continues to raise concerns and support international discussion at the UN.

The UK and lots of other countries have introduced sanctions against Russia, targeting areas such as trade and finance.

Let's do a check.

Why has the UN had limited success in resolving the Russia-Ukrainian War? Is it, A, it lacks the money to do so.

B, Russia vetoes, blocks, votes on the topic.

Or, C, the UN doesn't have an army.

Pause your video and choose your answer now.

The correct answer is, B.

The UK can also choose to respond more directly to global conflicts.

Since 2022, the UK has pledged £18 billion in support to Ukraine.

Around 10.

8 billion of this has gone towards military resources.

It's been provided through a mix of loans, donations, and arms. This direct aid has allowed Ukraine to counter the Russian offensive.

The UK has not deployed any soldiers to Ukraine.

The UK will also play a role in negotiations.

In 2025, the Prime Minister of the UK, Sir Keir Starmer, attempted to bring about peace by negotiating a "coalition of the willing" in Ukraine.

This coalition would involve deploying peacekeeping forces to Ukraine.

This is to help protect a fragile peace that was being discussed by the US and others.

So far, this plan has not been carried out, and the conflict continues.

The UK sells arms to many countries around the world.

Arms sales are an important export for the UK, they provide jobs and contribute to the economy.

According to Oxfam, since 2015, the UK has licenced around £500 million worth of arms to Israel.

The UK assesses all arms export licences against strict criteria.

A key factor in the decision making process is ensuring that the items will not be used to commit or facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law.

In 2024, Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, suspended 30 licences to Israel, including those for fighter aircraft and drones due to concerns about their potential use in the Gaza conflict.

However, the UK government has not imposed a blanket arms embargo on Israel, maintaining its support for Israel's right to self-defense.

Countries like the UK can respond to global conflicts in lots of different ways, and this depends on their interests and the nature of the conflict that's going on.

Those responses might include diplomatic actions, so raising issues at international organisations, maybe the UN, maybe NATO.

Imposing sanctions to apply pressure and affect the economies of those nations to encourage them to do something different.

They might provide financial assistance to the nation or surrounding nations.

They might provide military support.

We saw an example of that earlier in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

They might engage in peacekeeping missions.

The UK has used a combination of these different methods in its response to the global conflicts.

They've also considered international law and humanitarian concerns in the decisions of which of these methods to use.

Let's do another check.

Which of the following best describes one of the UK responses to the conflict in Ukraine? Is it, A, the UK sent ground troops to Ukraine to fight Russia.

B, the UK imposed economic sanctions on Russia.

C, the UK declared war on Russia to protect Ukraine.

Or D, the UK provided peacekeepers to patrol borders.

Pause your video now and choose your answer.

The correct answer is B.

Let's do another check to see what we've learned in this section.

I'd like you to describe two different ways in which countries might respond to conflicts.

Thinking about some of the examples we've done today.

Pause your video and have a go at this now.

I asked you to describe two different ways countries might respond to conflicts.

You might have said, countries respond conflicts in lots of different ways depending on the situation and interest.

One way is through membership of international organisations such as the United Nations.

This allows countries to raise issues, negotiate, and sometimes impose sanctions to apply pressure on other nations.

Countries can also respond more directly to conflicts by providing financial support, such as loans or donations.

For example, the UK has pledged nearly £18 billion to Ukraine, with a significant portion allocated for military resources.

Today, we have been learning, "What is the role of the UK in global conflict resolution?" We've learned that there are many global conflicts going on in the world today.

Two conflicts that were explored in this lesson are the Russia-Ukrainian War, and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Countries may respond in a wide range of ways.

They may influence the outcome through international organisations, like the UN.

They might intervene more directly through donations, loans, or gifts.

They might also decide to sell arms to countries experiencing conflict.

That's the end of today's lesson.

Thank you for joining me.