The life-cycle management of ammunition—or LCMA—is a set of interconnected processes and activities designed to keep the ammunition stockpiles of national authorities safe and secure while meeting their strategic and operational needs. As work continues to mainstream gender into security sector institutions and practices, ammunition management effo…

In this episode of the Small Arms Survey podcast, we focus on North Korea’s illicit maritime activities in violation of UN sanctions. We discuss what these activities are; how they relate to the UN sanctions regime on North Korea in general as well as the arms embargo in particular; how North Korea tries to circumvent these restrictions; and the to…

This episode of the Small Arms Survey podcast series focuses on illicit arms trafficking from North Korea, including sources of arms, routes and modes of transport, concealment methods, and ways to curb such trafficking. Our discussants are Bruce Bechtol, North Korea expert as well as professor of Political Science, Angelo State University; and Mat…

This episode of the Small Arms Survey podcast series focuses on gender in small arms control, as part of the Gender Lens for Arms Control Support and Sustainability (GLASS) project, funded by the Government of Canada. The Small Arms Survey will publish a Handbook on gender and arms control later in 2019, the authors and editor of which are discussa…

This episode of the Small Arms Survey podcast series focuses on unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS). Our speakers, Jovana Carapic, Remo Gassmann, and Benjamin King, discuss the problem at hand, the causes behind these explosions, as well as their consequences. The episode forms part of our Gender Lens for Arms Control Support and Sustain…

This episode of the Small Arms Survey podcast series focuses on Libyan female fighters and the role of women during the Libyan conflict and post-conflict peacebuilding, as part of the Survey’s Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project.Af Small Arms Survey

In this episode of the Small Arms Survey podcast series, Small Arms Survey consultant Hana Salama—author of our February 2018 Briefing Paper Counting Casualties: Operationalizing SDG 16.1.2 in Libya—speaks about the challenges involved in measuring casualties in conflict settings. The Briefing Paper and the podcast both form part of our Security As…

In this episode of the Small Arms Survey podcast series, senior researcher and managing editor Glenn McDonald—author of our October 2017 Briefing Paper Arms Control 2.0—Operationalizing SDG Target 16.4—discusses how the implementation of international arms control instruments supports the aim of reducing illicit arms flows in line with Sustainable …

This episode (in French) features excerpts from interviews collected for the exhibition 'Line of Sight', hosted by the Museum of Design and Contemporary Applied Arts (MUDAC) in Lausanne, Switzerland from 14 March to 26 August 2018. These range from the museum's artistic approach to the exhibit, to the perspectives on firearms in Switzerland, as wel…

In this episode of the Small Arms Survey podcast series, our Director Eric Berman discusses our Making Peace Operations More Effective (MPOME) project and our October 2017 report Making a Tough Job more Difficult: Loss of Arms and Ammunition in Peace Operations.Af Small Arms Survey

The third installment of the Small Arms Survey podcast series on illicit arms flows discusses Sustainable Development Goal 16 (SDG16), target 16.4, and its associated indicator, 16.4.2.Experts featured in this episode clarify the international framework for action in addressing the problem of illicit arms flows. In their interviews, they focus on t…

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that form Agenda 2030 provide a universal policy framework to which states have committed, and within which they operate towards achieving inclusive development. SDG16 sets out to achieve peaceful, just, and inclusive societies, with its fourth target focusing specifically on significantly reducing illici…

Measuring illicit arms flows is one of the challenges faced by states in their efforts to monitor progress in implementing Sustainable Development Goal 16, target 16.4. Fulfilling its mission as the principal international source of impartial and public information on all aspects of small arms and armed violence, the Small Arms Survey brings in a s…

A new report from the Small Arms Survey assesses the operational challenges facing UN panels of experts, and in particular the arms experts that sit on those panels, in their work to monitor UN arms embargoes. The report, based on interviews with sitting and former experts from panels covering embargoes in Cote d’Ivoire, DRC, Eritrea, Libya, Somali…

In the second of this two-part interview, lead author of Monitoring UN Arms Embargoes, Emile LeBrun discusses what makes an effective expert, the importance of cooperation between expert panels and UN peacekeeping operations, the kinds of political interference that experts face in fulfilling their duties, and some of the tools and methods experts …

More than four years after the start of the Syrian uprising, over a thousand armed groups are involved in fighting that has consumed the country. The latest podcast from the Small Arms Survey’s Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project investigates the moderate opposition in the Syrian conflict: what types of organizations have they develo…

More than 20,000 foreign fighters have fought in Syria, mostly for jihadist groups like Islamic State (IS), and North Africa has provided a large portion of these foreign fighters. The Small Arms Survey's Security Assessment in North Africa (SANA) project has investigated the motivations and pathways that take North African fighters to Syria. The I…

On the 1st of June the Public Panel Discussion “Women and Armed Violence: Peace and Gender Equality” was hosted at the Maison de la Paix in Geneva. Part of the TERRE DES FEMMES Switzerland annual speaker series, VOIX DES FEMMES, the event was also organised by the Small Arms Survey and the Graduate Institute’s Programme on Gender and Global Change …

Every Body Counts is the 2015 edition of the Global Burden of Armed Violence, which reveals that while violent deaths have decreased globally, armed conflict has become more lethal. The publication estimates that 508,000 people died violently each year during 2007–12. While this figure shows a decline, the proportion of conflict-related deaths has …

In the second installment of this two-episode podcast on 'Small Arms Survey 2015: Weapons and the World', Yearbook Coordinator Glenn McDonald and Researcher Claudia Seymour introduce the four case studies discussing armed actors, focusing on their procurement and use of small arms, and their stockpile management practices.…

The Small Arms Survey 2015: Weapons and the World explores the theme of weapons and the environment, as well as offering case studies on a range of aspects of small arms and armed violence. In the first of this two-episode podcast, Senior Researcher Khristopher Carlson and Yearbook Coordinator Glenn McDonald discuss five of the book's chapters, cov…

The second part of the two-part podcast discussing the Small Arms Survey's engagement in measuring SDG Goal 16, which focuses on peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice, and accountable institutions. This episode examines SDG Target 16.4, which calls for a significant reduction in illicit arms flows. Beyond acknowledging the link betwee…

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a new proposed framework to come into effect after the Millennium Development Goals. Amongst them, Goal 16 focuses on peaceful and inclusive societies, access to justice, and accountable institutions. This goal is a significant step towards recognizing that preventing and reducing violence is essential f…

In September 2014, in Istanbul, the Small Arms Survey held a weapons identification workshop for journalists reporting from conflict areas. Meeting the need for precise contextual information on the weapons used in conflict, and their origins, Small Arms Survey researchers introduced journalists to weapons identification techniques and practical co…

The dialogue continues on developments in weapons technology and the challenges they present for arms control. Benjamin King and Glenn McDonald explain how the modular design of weapons systems complicates weapons marking, record -keeping, and tracing. They also examine the issues raised by the conversion of replica firearms into viable weapons; an…

New developments in small arms manufacturing, technology, and design pose important challenges for weapons marking, record keeping, and tracing. The Small Arms Survey has drafted a series of discussion papers to be presented at the UN First Committee on Disarmament and International Security in October 2014. These papers, which are due for public r…

Contrary to the impression given by Hollywood's depictions, most firearms seized from drug traffickers and gang members in the United States are handguns, not automatic rifles or sub-machine guns. In this podcast, senior researcher Matt Schroeder highlights and explains key findings from his analysis of more than 140,000 records on firearms seized …

Around 875 million firearms are in circulation worldwide, with three-quarters of these in civilian hands, according to Small Arms Survey estimates. These widely-cited calculations are the result of an ongoing programme on inventories and stockpiles—started over a decade ago—to gather comprehensive data on the distribution of small arms and light we…

Unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS) are a significant safety concern for governments and a major security challenge for the international community. The Small Arms Survey has documented more than 500 such incidents in 100 countries over the 35-year period from 1979 to 2013. The Handbook 'Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites (UEMS): Ex…

The Small Arms Survey's Human Security Baseline Assessment (HSBA) for Sudan and South Sudan has documented armed conflict dynamics in the two countries since 2006. In a May 2014 interview, HSBA consultant Joshua Craze, author of several HSBA reports, describes recent developments in South Sudan's political and humanitarian crisis, which has continu…

The Small Arms Survey's Human Security Baseline Assessment (HSBA) for Sudan and South Sudan has documented armed conflict dynamics in the two countries since 2006. In a May 2014 interview, HSBA consultant Joshua Craze, author of several HSBA reports, describes recent developments in South Sudan's political and humanitarian crisis, which has continu…

Man-portable air defence systems--MANPADS--are lightweight, usually shoulder-launched, surface-to-air missiles. These weapons systems have proliferated in conflict zones, and their widespread acquisition by non-state armed groups has attracted attention and caused disquiet amongst the security sector. In this podcast the Small Arms Survey's Matt Sc…

Small Arms Survey’s Working Paper On the Edge? Trafficking and Insecurity at the Tunisian–Libyan Border examines the effects of the Libyan armed conflict and its aftermath on the security situation in Tunisia. Based on primary field research conducted in the Jefara region, which borders Libya, the study delves into the complex interactions between …

In the second installment of this two-part podcast discussing the book Controlling Small Arms: Consolidation, Innovation and Relevance in Research and Policy, chapter authors talk about the gains made in small arms control during fifteen years of research, policy and advocacy efforts. They draw attention to several current challenges, and map out s…

Controlling Small Arms: Consolidation, Innovation and Relevance in Research and Policy is a new book from the Small Arms Survey, published by Routledge, which maps out the evolution of our knowledge on small arms issues, and discusses practical implementation of programmes and processes, both at the national level and globally.The two-part podcast …

The Human Security Baseline Assessment for Sudan and South Sudan (HSBA) is a multi-year project of the Small Arms Survey. The HSBA project was established in 2005 in the wake of the comprehensive peace agreement between the government of Sudan and the Sudan’s People Liberation Movement, which put an end to 20 years of civil strife, in order to gaug…

The Regional Approach to Stockpile Reduction (RASR) initiative encourages nine affected South-east European governments to develop a pro-active, coordinated, regional approach to secure and destroy excess stockpiles. The RASR initiative's aim is to prevent disastrous explosions and misuse of conventional weapons and munitions. The Small Arms Survey…

Each year the Small Arms Survey yearbook presents several chapters that update specific recurring themes. In the second instalment of the podcast on this year's edition, Small Arms Survey 2013: Everyday Dangers, Yearbook Coordinator Glenn McDonald introduces the chapters on international regulation of small arms, demilitarization, and improvised ex…

The findings of the Small Arms Survey 2013: Everyday Dangers were presented in New York on 21 October 2013 at the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the United Nations, on the first day of the 68th session of the United Nations First Committee, on Disarmament and International Security.The Small Arms Survey 2013, launched in July in Geneva, focuse…

This two-part podcast is based on interviews with participants at the Expert Meeting on armed violence observatories and monitoring systems held on 26-28 June 2013 by the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, the Small Arms Survey, and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform. The first set of interviews looked at why armed violence monito…

On 26-28 June 2013 the Geneva Declaration on Armed Violence and Development, the Small Arms Survey, and the Geneva Peacebuilding Platform held an Expert Meeting on armed violence observatories and monitoring systems. In this two-part podcast, meeting participants talk about the purpose, the functions, and the challenges faced by armed violence moni…

Seven years after the conclusion of a historical peace agreement, Nepal's political situation continues to be unsettled. Yet despite persistent volatility, a recent survey conducted by the Nepal Armed Violence Assessment, a Small Arms Survey project, found that most Nepali people feel confident that the security situation has improved.Mihaela Racov…

South Africa is severely affected by the impacts and costs of armed violence, and has one of the highest rates of lethal violence against women. South African authorities and civil society have long been active in tackling this situation, and their efforts have resulted in some of the most comprehensive gun control legislation. Natalie Jaynes, Smal…

Two years after Libyan revolutionary forces deposed Colonel Muammar Qadaffi’s regime, Libya's complex state-building process continues. Local and regional armed groups, including Libya's revolutionary brigades, have an important role to play in this process, although there is no clear understanding of how. As part of its focus project on Libya and …

Adopted on 2 April 2013 by an overwhelming majority of states in the UN General Assembly, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) is a milestone in the global regulation of the arms trade, but is not without its flaws. Small Arms Survey senior researchers Glenn McDonald and Sarah Parker, both participants in the treaty negotiations, discuss the development of …

In a presentation organized in March 2013 at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva, Prof. Keith Krause, Small Arms Survey programme director, addressed some of the topical issues related to lethal violence and firearms worldwide. In this podcast we introduce highlights of the presentation, which touched upon subj…

Contrary to widespread belief, areas of armed conflict are not the main scene of armed violence and its devastating effects. While conflict hotspots like civil wars and military interventions attract global attention, other forms of armed violence often place far greater strains on societies, incurring devastating costs for individuals, communities…

This year, the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women will take place at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 4 to 15 March 2013. The Priority theme of the session is the Elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.Small Arms Survey, within the framework of its global studies on armed …

In March 2013 Kenya goes to the polls. The elections occur against a backdrop of tension and controversy: two of the four main contenders face charges at the International Criminal Court relating to the 2007–08 post-election violence; the previous electoral round left behind numerous victims, displaced people, and economic damage. During the build-…

In this episode, the Small Arms Survey’s Managing Director, Eric Berman, talks about the handbook on 'Regional Organzations and the UN Programme of Action on Small Arms (PoA)', a valuable guide to the regional actors and institutions involved in tackling the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons.…