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, and economies as a whole.

Around 520,000 people die each year as a result of armed violence, mostly in non-conflict settings. Firearms account for 40% to 60% of these violent deaths. In a presentation at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva in March 2013, Prof. Keith Krause, Small Arms Survey programme director, addressed the relationship between lethal violence and firearms.

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.

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. Part 2 of this two-part podcast brings testimonies on the challenges of using data gathered by armed violence observatories to build policy action.

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.

Each year the Small Arms Survey yearbook presents several chapters 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 explosive devices (IEDs).

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 Schroeder discusses the use of MANPADS and the challenges they present to the research community and to security providers.

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 from criminals in eight US cities. These findings were released this summer as a chapter in Small Arms Survey 2014: Women and Guns.

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 for development.