New Factsheet on the links between the Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites database and the Global Framework on Ammunition

Unplanned explosions at munitions sites (UEMS) pose challenges on a global scale as they can occur anywhere. Since 2009, the Small Arms Survey has developed and maintained a database on UEMS, totalling 674 incidents over the period 1979–2024 that resulted in more than 31,000 casualties. These incidents happened in 108 countries across every continent but Antarctica. UEMS generate public health and humanitarian costs, and have long-term socio-economic, financial, and environmental consequences. Proper ammunition management practices, as promoted by the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management (GFA), can, however, prevent—or at least mitigate—these effects. In the same vein, the UEMS database provides data on lessons learned while raising awareness of the consequences of not implementing those good practices and the impact such events can have on the local population.

Read: Linking the Unplanned Explosions at Munitions Sites Database to the Global Framework on Ammunition

For more:

• Check out our UEMS Database page
• Check out our GFA Hub for all of the Survey's ammunition-related activities and outputs

Other news from the Survey:

• New hub for the Survey's work related to the Global Framework for Through-life Conventional Ammunition Management
• New blog post on ammunition seizures in the Caribbean and what they mean for public health
• New infographic on the regional profiles of illicit small-calibre ammunition (2015-2021)
• New Survey Briefing Paper and How-to guide on national action plans
• New HSBA Briefing Paper on the politics of violence in South Sudan