The Nelson Mandela Centre for Peace & Conflict Resolution was launched in 2004 and was one of the first centres for peace and conflict resolution to be established at an Indian university. Initially, it taught a certificate course followed by a diploma course. In 2007, it introduced a two-year full-time MA course in Conflict Analysis and Peace-Building, as well as a PhD in Conflict and Peace Studies.

 While the chief focus of the Centre is comparative and contemporary studies, it also aims to fill a gap in Indian academic life – the lack of serious and purposeful analysis of types and sources of conflict in our country and neighbourhood, and the methods of dealing with them that India has adopted.

Objectives of the Centre

•  To research and document Indian approaches to the promotion of peace, at home and abroad.
• To develop a curriculum of peace and conflict studies based on national, regional and global experiences.
• To build capacity for conflict prevention and resolution in government and civil society agencies.
• To promote a community of academic expertise in conflict prevention, management, and post-conflict peace-building.

 Training Students

The Centre has trained students from different parts of India especially the conflict regions of North east and Kashmir. The Centre has also had students from Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Afghanistan. Under the student exchange programme students have also come from France. An important component of the MA course is a weeklong field work trip to conflict areas. 
 
Key Activities

Over the years, the Centre expanded its policy-oriented research, hosted visiting fellows, organized interactions with eminent leaders in peacemaking, launched the Walter Sisulu Memorial Lecture series, run short training programs, and developed internship programs for MA students. In 2008, Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu donated the proceeds of a British fundraiser to the Centre.

• Policy-oriented research: The Centre has held national and international conferences, seminars and workshops on Afghanistan, Jammu and Kashmir, Communalism, Manipur and Chhattisgarh, bringing together academics, policy-makers, activists and analysts, to find ways in which each of the conflicts can be resolved, transformed or at least mitigated.
• Eminent persons interactions: The Centre has hosted a series of Public Lectures and interactionswith international experts including Mr. Kjell Bondevik, former Norwegian Prime Minister;  Mr. Peter Hain, UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland; Ms. Eleanor Randolph, New York Times; Ms. Samia Nkrumah, Member of Parliament, Ghana; Ms. Navanethem Pillay, former Judge International Criminal Court (Appeals Division) and presently United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Mr. David Malone, former Canadian High Commissioner to India; Lord John Thomas Alderdice, Member of Parliament & Commissioner, Independent Monitoring Commission, Northern Ireland; Dr. Raymond Sorrel Suttner, University of South Africa & Former Ambassador of South Africa to Sweden.
• Walter Sisulu Memorial Lectures: The Walter Sisulu Memorial Lectures have been delivered by eminent peacemakers like Ms. Medha Patkar, founder of the Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) and the National Alliance of People’s Movements; Prof. Richard Falk, UNCHR Special Rapporteur on the Palestinian Territories; Ms. Asma Jahangir, human right activist from Pakistan; and Mr. Ahmed M. Kathrada, a veteran of the South African liberation struggle and an African National Congress leader.
• Afghanistan Focused Programs: Since 2009, the Centre has consistently organized programs focused on Afghanistan: two International Seminars, a Simulation, an Afghanistan-India-Pakistan Student Exchange Program and an international training program for young Afghan Professionals. 
• Short Training Courses: The Centre has organized three 3-week Refresher courses in Conflict Studies (first of its kind) and four short (1-2 day) Orientation Programs in Peace and Conflict Studies for teachers from different universities and colleges in India. Besides, it has held a four-day Orientation Program in Peace Studies for students from Loreto College, Kolkata.
• Internships: Students of the Centre have held internships in the Indian Council of World Affairs, New Delhi; National Human Rights Commission, New Delhi; Central Information Commission, New Delhi; Delhi Policy Group; Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi; Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi; Médecins Sans Frontières; Global India Foundation, Kolkata; Amnesty International, New Delhi; Control Arms Foundation of India, New Delhi; India Alliance for Child Rights and Global Network of Religions for Children; NGO Pratham; and Aman Biradari, Gujarat.  
• Gandhi Fellowships: Between 2007-2011, the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti, New Delhi gave 3-4 fellowships every year to the Masters students of NMCPCR.  
• Curriculum Development (European Union Asia Link Project): The Centre undertook a three-year project on “Peacemaking and Peace-Building in Europe & South Asia (Human Resource and Curriculum Development)”from March2008 to February 2011. As part of the project, four Course Modules were prepared through joint curriculum development, faculty exchanges, and “test run” programs held in partner universities in Europe and South Asia. A peace network of 25 institutions has been created.