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← Action On Armed Violence

2024-12-31-accounts

ACTION ON ARMED VIOLENCE AOAV ACTION ON ARMED VIOLENCE ANNUAL REPORT 2024

Action on Armed Violence (Limited by Guarantee)

Contents

Page
Legal & administrative 1
Trustees' report 2 -16
Independent examiner’s report 17
Statement of financial activities 18
Balance sheet 19
Notes to the accounts 20-28

Action on Armed Violence (Limited by Guarantee)

Legal and Administrative Information

Board

Dr Saleyha Ahsan Professor Ismene-Theodora Gizelis Rocco Faustus Blume Leanna Burnard Andrew Maber-Jones Dr Jack Denny Olivia Dix

(Resigned Apr 2025)

Chief Executive

Dr Iain Overton

Principal Office

405 Mile End Road London E3 4PB

Company Number 06381573

Charity Number

1122057

Independent Examiners

Shruti Soni Shruti Soni Limited 117A St Johns Hill Sevenoaks TN13 3PL

Bankers

Co-operative Bank City Offices 80 Cornhill London EC3V 3NJ

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Action on Armed Violence (Limited by Guarantee)

CHAIR'S REPORT

We are pleased to present the Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) Annual Report for 2024. This document underscores AOAV's unwavering commitment to documenting abuses and defending civilians from the impacts of armed violence.

2024 was a year that laid bare the fragility of civilian life in modern war. Across Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar, explosive weapons turned homes, markets and streets into frontlines. For Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), it was a year of unflinching observation: counting the dead, documenting the injured, and tracing the chain of responsibility from battlefield to boardroom.

The numbers were hard to fathom. AOAV’s Explosive Violence Monitor recorded the highest civilian casualty levels since our work began in 2010. Gaza became the defining tragedy, where Israeli airstrikes and artillery flattened neighbourhoods and left women and children as the majority of the dead. Lebanon, dragged back into conflict, endured its heaviest civilian toll since 2006. Ukraine’s war of attrition entered a third year, with Russian drones, missiles and thermite-based incendiaries raining down on cities. In Sudan and Myanmar, the ‑ killing continued in near obscurity, with urban sieges, airstrikes and famine reinforcing the cruelty of wars the world prefers to ignore.

Beneath the human toll lies a system that rewards violence. AOAV’s investigations exposed how profit and impunity underpin the machinery of modern militarism. Britain’s BAE Systems sold arms to almost half the world, including states implicated in civilian harm. UK ‑ made F ‑ 35 components were found in Israeli jets bombing Gaza. Western weapons slipped into sanctioned theatres, from Russian stockpiles to Myanmar’s airfields. Meanwhile, Britain’s own Special Forces remained under scrutiny for alleged extrajudicial killings and cover ‑ ups, while historical cases from Northern Ireland to Kenya reminded us that institutional secrecy has long shadowed accountability.

AOAV’s response is to pair evidence with persistence. Our work is not designed for spectacle. It is the ‑ painstaking verification of incidents, the maintenance of open source datasets, and the release of findings that others—journalists, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), parliamentarians—can use to challenge official narratives. In 2024, that quiet labour underpinned media coverage from the BBC to Al Jazeera, informed United Nations (UN) discussions on explosive weapons in populated areas, and shaped parliamentary debate on the ethics of UK arms exports.

Despite its small size—two core staff, a consultant and a committed network of volunteers—AOAV continues ‑ to punch far above its weight. In 2024, we embarked upon a global civilian mass shooting database, expanded documentation of Iraqi civilian deaths linked to UK forces, and produced Voice Notes from Palestine, a short film giving voice to young people with disabilities living under bombardment, which was screened at the United Nations.

The lessons of the year are unambiguous. Urban warfare is no longer an exception but a norm. International law is invoked more often than it is enforced. Arms manufacturers and the governments that enable them prosper, while civilians absorb the shock. Small, independent organisations like AOAV remain vital to countering that indifference—transforming documentation into accountability, and data into a form of moral leverage.

As we move into 2025, the mission endures: to ensure that civilian harm is not invisible, uncounted, or unchallenged. Every life recorded is a reminder that accountability is still possible, and that indifference is never neutral.

Rocco Blume, Chair

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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S REPORT

In 2024, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) navigated one of the most turbulent years since its founding. Conflicts multiplied, norms frayed, and civilians absorbed the consequences. For a small organisation that measures its success not in headlines but in the unflinching record of lives upended by war, it was a year of ceaseless vigilance and strategic adaptation.

Explosive violence surged across Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar, driving civilian casualties to their highest level in 14 years of AOAV monitoring. Urban bombardment became a default method of war, while thermite ‑ equipped drones, improvised incendiaries and AI ‑ assisted targeting showed how technological innovation is outpacing the laws and ethics meant to constrain it. AOAV’s role was to track these trends with rigour—transforming fragmentary incident reports into reliable datasets that policymakers, journalists and advocates could trust.

The organisation’s footprint remains lean: two core staff, one consultant and a committed network of volunteers. Yet this small team delivered disproportionate impact. The Explosive Violence Monitor, led by Niamh Gillen following a careful handover from Chiara Torelli, produced 12 monthly reports and several thematic studies. Behind our damning statistics lay the quiet, methodical work of verifying incidents, logging ‑ data and maintaining an open source record that has become indispensable to NGOs, international bodies and the press.

Our impact in 2024 unfolded across three fronts.

Evidence generation remained the backbone of AOAV’s mission. Over 30,000 civilian casualties were ‑ documented, with equal attention given to the high profile wars of Gaza and Ukraine and to the conflicts that risk international invisibility, from Khartoum to Sagaing. These datasets fuelled debate on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas (EWIPA) and provided the empirical foundation for advocacy and media scrutiny.

Policy and accountability formed the second pillar. AOAV’s investigations into the global arms trade, particularly Britain’s role, connected boardrooms to battlefields. Research tracing UK ‑ made F ‑ 35 components to Israeli jets flattening Gaza neighbourhoods was cited in Parliament and reported across the BBC, Reuters, Al Jazeera and Anadolu Ajansı. Our findings informed Oxfam’s visual campaign outside the UK Parliament and contributed to UN and Foreign Office discussions on civilian protection, arms transfers and improvised explosive devices. By examining militarism not just on the battlefield but in the policies, contracts and supply chains that sustain it, AOAV reinforced the link between profit and civilian harm.

Public engagement was the third strand. Recognising that data alone rarely drives change, AOAV invested in storytelling. Our short film Voice Notes from Palestine, screened at the United Nations, gave a human voice to ‑ statistics through the testimonies of young Gazans with disabilities. Regular bulletins, social media updates and media commentary extended our reach.

The pressures of the year were considerable. Conflicts overlapped, verification demanded triage, and volunteer coordination required care. Financially, AOAV remained stable thanks to the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, the Swiss government and Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) project support, ‑ though sustaining high quality monitoring beyond 2026 will require roughly £50,000 in new annual income.

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Three lessons stand out. First, the civilian burden of war continues to rise, even as the machinery of militarism grows more sophisticated. Second, transparency in arms trading is as urgent as casualty documentation. Third, small, independent monitors can shape global debates if they pair discipline with persistence. In 2025, AOAV will deepen its monitoring, expand its visual storytelling, and continue to expose the moral and legal costs of modern militarism—ensuring that civilian harm is counted, communicated and, wherever possible, prevented.

Dr Iain Overton, Executive Director

TRUSTEES’ REPORT

The Board of Trustees are pleased to present their Trustees’ Annual Report and accounts for the year ending 31 December 2024. The Trustees’ Annual Report contains a Directors’ Report as required by company law. The report and accounts comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 and Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS102 (effective 1 January 2019).

MISSION AND APPROACH

Mission

Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) central mission is to carry out research and advocacy in order to reduce the incidence and impact of global armed violence.

To help reduce this burden, AOAV carries out research and advocacy campaigns to strengthen international laws and standards on the availability and use of conventional and improvised weapons, to build recognition of the rights of victims and survivors of armed violence and to research, understand and act effectively on the root causes of armed violence in affected countries.

To this end, AOAV is committed to:

AOAV’s advocacy and research can help it reach its goals:

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Trustees’ report for the year ending 31 December 2024: continued

Key Reports and Research

Throughout 2024, AOAV has published critical analyses and detailed reports that have fuelled international conversations on armed violence and its containment. Our research has highlighted the intricate dynamics of conflict and its repercussions on vulnerable populations. Here, we delve deeper into some of our pivotal publications and their broader implications.

Global Explosive Violence Monitoring 2024:

War in 2024 was defined by blast and shockwave. AOAV’s Explosive Violence Monitor - now in its 14th year - recorded the highest civilian casualty levels since tracking began in 2010, with conflicts in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, Sudan and Myanmar pushing global totals to grim new records. The data revealed not just the scale ‑ of destruction, but the speed with which local conflicts became mass casualty events, leaving civilians as the invariable victims.

The first quarter of the year was dominated by Gaza, where sustained Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire accounted for much of the world’s recorded civilian harm. February’s twin bombings in Pakistan, timed to the ‑ eve of national elections, were a reminder that politically driven explosive violence remained a persistent ‑ regional threat. By mid year, Russian missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities surged again, while spillover strikes in southern Lebanon entered the ledger. September and October became the deadliest months, with AOAV documenting over 8,000 casualties in a single month—nine in ten of them civilians.

Compared with 2023, the escalation was notable. Civilian harm from explosive weapons rose by more than a third, and the map of incidents widened. Where the previous year’s casualties were clustered around Ukraine, Gaza and Myanmar, 2024 saw major incidents in Lebanon, Sudan and Ethiopia. Urban areas remained the most lethal settings: in September, 91% of all global casualties were civilians, confirming AOAV’s ‑ long standing warning that explosive weapons and cities are an intolerable mix.

Gaza epitomised the year’s pattern. Israeli strikes flattened residential streets in Shuja’iyya and Rafah, producing the highest monthly civilian tolls in AOAV’s 14 years of monitoring. Lebanon experienced its heaviest civilian impact since 2006, as airstrikes reached into Beirut and forced thousands to flee the south. Ukraine remained a grim case study in the normalisation of urban bombardment, with markets, apartment ‑ blocks and energy infrastructure repeatedly hit, and the use of thermite based incendiaries highlighting the shifting arsenal of modern war.

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Trustees’ report for the year ending 31 December 2024: continued

Novel methods sharpened the threat. AOAV documented the growing use of thermite bombs, incendiary ‑ ‑ drones and improvised devices with AI assisted targeting. In Lebanon, explosive laden pagers injured hundreds of Hezbollah members and risked indiscriminate harm; in Ukraine, “dragon drones” fused low ‑ cost ‑ improvisation with high tech lethality. These weapons made urban life ever more precarious, accelerating the tempo and unpredictability of harm.

‑ ‑ The Monitor’s work is not just a statistical exercise. Its month by month reports provide governments, journalists and humanitarian actors with verifiable evidence of the civilian cost of modern warfare.

In 2024, the message was blunt: explosive violence remains the leading driver of civilian suffering in conflict, and the world is failing to insulate ordinary people from the blast.

Investigations and Research

War was lucrative in 2024. From Gaza to Myanmar, the business of violence thrived on profit, secrecy and pliant oversight. Britain’s BAE Systems sold arms to nearly half the world; components made in the UK surfaced in Israeli jets that levelled city blocks; Western weapons seeped into sanctioned states; and Britain’s Special Forces faced allegations of extrajudicial killings and cover-ups. The pattern was familiar: civilians paid the price, while those who armed and enabled the bloodshed prospered. Tracing these networks—from boardrooms to battlefields—is more than record-keeping; it is a rare challenge to systems that reward profit and tolerate impunity.

With support from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, AOAV exposed these systems across a wide range of investigations, reports and interventions.

BAE Systems and the Global Arms Web

AOAV’s 2024 flagship investigation into BAE Systems laid bare the reach of Britain’s biggest arms firm. Over the past decade, its weapons have turned up in 93 countries, almost half the globe. Eighty-one relationships were confirmed, a dozen more were likely. The client list ranged from allies like Australia to serial humanrights abusers such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Twenty-eight confirmed customers have used explosive weapons against civilians since 2013. The inquiry revealed how profit and bloodshed are coupled: BAE’s share price rose by 35% in the six months to April 2024, buoyed by wars in Gaza and Ukraine, while executives cashed in shares as the bombs fell.

Further reporting exposed conflicts of interest at the heart of government. AOAV highlighted the role of Julia Sutcliffe, Chief Scientific Advisor at the Department for Business and Trade, whose previous senior post at BAE raised questions about impartiality in arms-export decisions. Separate reports revealed how former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace accepted an advisory position with Saudi Arabia, deepening the revolving door between Whitehall and authoritarian regimes.

UK Arms to Israel

Britain’s supply chain to Israel became a political fault line. AOAV traced UK-made F-35 components to Israeli jets that struck Gaza’s apartment blocks and markets. By September, the UK government had suspended 30 export licences, but the move was partial and reactive. Supply routes remained open and the risk of complicity in breaches of international humanitarian law persisted.

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AOAV reported on Parliament’s debate on recognising Palestine, the legal review of F-35 exports, and growing pressure from civil society, including legal challenges from GLAN and Al-Haq. We noted the resignation of a British diplomat in protest at continued sales, and exposed how Northrop Grumman, Smartshooter and other firms with ties to Gaza operations were simultaneously expanding their UK footprint. The conclusion was clear: Britain’s export-licensing regime functions less as a moral safeguard than a political shield.

Western Arms in Prohibited Theatres

AOAV tracked how Western-made arms appeared where they should not. Russian forces obtained diverted firearms despite sanctions; Myanmar’s junta secured parts to fuel campaigns in Sagaing and Rakhine. An analysis of sanctioned corporations showed how embargoes and end-user agreements are porous, undermined by intermediaries, offshore finance and weak oversight.

UK Special Forces and the Culture of Secrecy

Britain’s elite soldiers remained under scrutiny. The Afghanistan Inquiry inched forward amid allegations of extrajudicial killings, cover-ups and deleted data. AOAV documented whistleblower testimony, exposed the veto exercised by UK Special Forces over Afghan allies’ resettlement, and tracked the Ministry of Defence’s reliance on anonymity orders and Freedom of Information (FOI) denials.

Nine Special Forces soldiers came under review for alleged war crimes in Syria. AOAV analysed political interventions, from Johnny Mercer’s refusal to disclose whistleblower identities to Ben Wallace’s legislative manoeuvres limiting prosecutions. The portrait was of an institution where loyalty outweighed law and secrecy shielded scrutiny.

Historical Misconduct and Overseas Abuses

AOAV charted Britain’s failure to confront its past and present abuses. In Northern Ireland, the Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR) crawled through Troubles-era cases, while the Omagh inquiry denied participant status to a key spy. FOI requests revealed that the MoD quietly transferred a Falklands war-crime allegation to an unnamed agency.

Overseas, the 2012 killing of Agnes Wanjiru in Kenya continued to symbolise misogyny and silence within the Army. AOAV reported on testimony of rape and abandonment at British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK), as well as on systemic abuse of child soldiers at the Army Foundation College. We documented £12.5m paid out in Troubles legacy claims,

£150m for training-related injuries, and preventable deaths ranging from Corporal Chris Gill’s fatal training incident to Royal Air Force (RAF) sergeant Anna Irwin’s cancer linked to toxic helicopter fumes. Rising suicide rates among service personnel added to the portrait of an institution failing its duty of care.

Militarism, Oversight and Narrative Control

AOAV interrogated how the Ministry of Defence controls information and public debate. Our investigation into FOI refusals showed how exemptions obstruct scrutiny. Reports revealed how media calls for higher defence spending spiked around fiscal events, suggesting coordinated messaging.

We challenged senior figures directly: rejecting Sir John McColl’s claim that Israel was “doing all it could” to protect civilians, and countering Special Air Service (SAS) veterans’ calls for immunity from prosecution. Investigations into racism, sexual abuse, and misogyny inside the armed forces showed how a culture of denial persists.

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Veteran Welfare and Preventable Deaths

AOAV widened scrutiny beyond combat. Reporting on preventable deaths — from Corporal Chris Gill’s fatal Brecon training incident to RAF sergeant Anna Irwin’s cancer from helicopter fumes — showed repeated failures in military duty of care. Our analysis of armed-forces mortality revealed that over a quarter of deaths in 2023 were suicides, pointing to a deep mental-health crisis. We also highlighted the hidden scale of veteran homelessness, showing how official figures mask structural neglect. Together these investigations punctured the Ministry’s rhetoric of protection, exposing instead an institution that struggles to safeguard its own.

The Military Justice Gap

AOAV analysed the failings of the Royal Military Police and military courts. Conviction rates for rape and sexual assault remained far lower than in civilian justice. Our reporting showed how the new Defence Serious Crime Unit, while a step forward, still lacks independence. The passage of the Overseas Operations Act, limiting prosecutions after five years, underscored how law is shaped to shield rather than scrutinise. These findings reinforced AOAV’s consistent argument: Britain’s military justice system is structurally biased towards impunity.

Secrecy and the FOI Battleground

AOAV repeatedly confronted a culture of concealment. Freedom of Information requests on Special Forces operations and alleged Falklands war crimes were rejected on grounds of cost or security. In one case, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed it had transferred a Falklands allegation to an unnamed agency without informing the local government. Analysis of FOI data showed refusals are not neutral procedures but active tactics to frustrate oversight. By documenting these patterns, AOAV built evidence for reform of access-toinformation laws as they apply to defence.

Arms, Politics and Influence

AOAV exposed how the arms trade seeps into political life. Our reports revealed how defence companies sponsored party events, how Labour accepted a £4m donation from a hedge fund invested in weapons, and how ex-Defence Secretary Ben Wallace leveraged his office into Saudi contracts. We highlighted the Oxford Economics report on the Army’s supposed economic benefits, debunking its “military Keynesianism” narrative. These findings showed how commercial and political power reinforce each other, leaving little space for accountability.

Civil Society, Media and Narrative Control

AOAV challenged the narratives that sustain militarism. We criticised media claims that Israel was “doing all it could” to protect civilians, exposing their hollowness against casualty figures. We showed how calls for greater defence spending cluster around fiscal announcements, and how veterans in Parliament remain overrepresented, skewing debate. Engagement work included seminars, student training and public op-eds, ensuring civil society voices entered defence discussions too often dominated by official spin.

Overseas Bases and Foreign Entanglements

AOAV reported on Britain’s overseas footprint. From Cyprus, where RAF Akrotiri quietly supported US and Israeli operations in Gaza, to Kenya, where troops faced allegations of rape, murder and environmental harm, Britain’s foreign bases became flashpoints for abuse and secrecy. We also documented how Afghan interpreters and Special Forces allies were left stranded, sometimes blocked by the MoD itself.

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Together these findings painted a picture of imperial legacy and modern expediency entwined — bases abroad bringing exposure, but little accountability.

Technology, Militarism and Emerging Weapons

AOAV assessed Britain’s turn to new technologies of war. We published analyses of AI-driven drones, laser weapons like DragonFire, and “swarm” systems tested with US forces. Each raised legal and ethical concerns: insufficient regulation, lack of transparency, and risks of civilian harm. AOAV argued for strengthened safeguards in international law to keep pace with rapid technological change, lest humanitarian principles be left behind.

UK Special Forces: Afghanistan and the Question of Justice

Few stories in 2024 revealed Britain’s culture of secrecy more starkly than the drip of revelations about its Special Forces. The Afghanistan Inquiry, established to examine allegations of extrajudicial killings, was beset by obstruction. Whistleblowers such as the senior officer codenamed N1466 described night raids where the tally of dead far exceeded the weapons recovered, raising the spectre of summary executions. At least 84 Afghans, including children, were reported killed in dubious circumstances across 26 operations in Helmand. Yet those who tried to speak were met with resistance. Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer repeatedly refused to provide whistleblower names to the inquiry, earning judicial rebukes and ultimatums. Former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace pushed legislative changes that might have shielded Special Forces from prosecution. Sir Stephen Lovegrove, then at the MoD, advised against any inquiry at all. When pressed, Wallace resorted to social-media deflections. The pattern was one of institutional evasion: tweets in place of testimony, vetoes in place of accountability.

The costs were borne not only by Afghan civilians but also by Britain’s allies. Afghan commandos who fought alongside the SAS — the so-called “Triples” — were denied safe haven in the UK, often on the say-so of the very units under scrutiny. Left stranded, they faced Taliban reprisals. Their exclusion looked less like bureaucratic oversight than a calculated effort to silence potential witnesses. Meanwhile, SAS veterans at home demanded immunity from human-rights law, while politicians such as Robert Jenrick argued that killings were preferable to captures, lest lawyers interfere. Such rhetoric stripped away the pretence: loyalty and impunity were being defended as virtues. The contrast was striking. Britain, once proud of Special Forces’ secrecy as a mark of excellence, now found that secrecy synonymous with misconduct.

By year’s end, even the new head of the Army felt compelled to declare “full support” for the inquiry. But AOAV’s reporting suggested that culture, not compliance, remained the obstacle. From concealed evidence to obstructed resettlements, the Afghanistan story showed how an elite unit once synonymous with military honour has become emblematic of Britain’s struggle with accountability.

Global Mass Shooting Database

Beyond state violence, AOAV advanced its global mass-shooting project, cataloguing incidents outside war zones. The database revealed distinct geographies: gang-driven killings in Brazil and Mexico, militia violence in sub-Saharan Africa, insurgent shootings in South-East Asia. By 2024, the project was feeding directly into the Lancet Commission on Global Gun Violence and Health, reframing mass shootings as a global governance and public-health challenge rather than a uniquely American pathology.

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Advocacy

In 2024, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) continued its role as a bridge between rigorous research and the policy and media arenas. While the organisation’s core mission remains data ‑ driven documentation of armed violence, its growing advocacy footprint ensured that evidence translated into influence in Westminster, international forums and global media.

‑ AOAV kept up its visibility. Executive Director Iain Overton, a co commissioner on the Lancet Inquiry into Global Gun Violence and Health, attended sessions in Washington, DC. He addressed the Frontline Club twice, on arms to Israel and on casualty counting in Israel and Ukraine. AOAV also engaged directly with UK ‑ ‑ parliamentarians and export control officials to press for stricter arms licensing rules. These interventions positioned AOAV as both a source of hard data and a credible voice in debates about civilian protection.

The organisation’s calendar of events illustrated its breadth of engagement. In April, AOAV hosted a webinar ‑ on casualty recording challenges, launched its BAE Systems report at the Royal Overseas League, and spoke at the Explosive Weapons in Populated Areas conference in Oslo. May and June were dense with stakeholder ‑ meetings, the PrOTeCT Convention, and a half day seminar on the arms trade alongside arms-trade author Andrew Feinstein and CAAT. By summer, AOAV had woven together research on civilian harm with advocacy on disability in conflict, preparing to present the “Disability Under Siege” project at the UN, while also addressing topics from ballistics testing to the cultural impact of the suicide bomber at conferences in York and Durham.

‑ Autumn brought a pivot toward multilateral policy and high profile campaigns. AOAV collaborated with the UK Gun Control Network in September, linking firearms policy to public ‑ health outcomes. It launched the #DisabledVoicesFromGaza media plan and coordinated a UN side event to amplify the experiences of young Gazans with disabilities under bombardment. A transatlantic webinar on 30 September guided journalists ‑ through investigating US UK arms transfers to Israel. Participation in the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW) Steering Committee, the Humanitarian Disarmament Forum, and workshops at the Imperial War Museum, alongside discussions on ethical arms trading and prospective grants for vulnerability ‑ focused initiatives, kept us busy.

AOAV’s film Voice Notes from Palestine, screened at the UN, epitomised its approach: combining data with human testimony to translate statistics into narratives that influence policy. This blend of evidence and empathy was also visible in collaborations with Oxfam, including a visual campaign outside the UK Parliament highlighting the toll of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza.

By the end of 2024, AOAV had confirmed that credibility earned in research can be leveraged into tangible advocacy. The organisation’s dual role—analyst and messenger—will remain central as it pushes for civilian protection to be more than an afterthought in the conduct of war.

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Media coverage

In 2024, Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) achieved a wide media footprint, with its data and analysis shaping international reporting on civilian harm, explosive weapons, and the arms trade. From global broadcasters to regional newspapers, AOAV’s research travelled across languages and continents, reinforcing its reputation as a leading voice on the human cost of war.

Our Executive Director was a regular commentator on television and radio. He appeared on BBC News, Sky News, Good Morning Britain, ABC (Australia), CBC (Canada), and Arte (France/Germany), explaining AOAV’s findings on Gaza, Ukraine, and military accountability. He also provided commentary on press freedom and human ‑ rights reporting, with appearances connected to the Julian Assange case highlighting AOAV’s work at the intersection of war reporting and state secrecy.

Major Western outlets repeatedly drew on AOAV’s data. The BBC, The Guardian, and Daily Mail reported that 2023 had seen the highest global civilian casualty rate from explosive weapons since AOAV began systematic ‑ monitoring in 2010. Reuters used AOAV’s data in a widely circulated fact check debunking a misleading graph about Gaza airstrike casualties. CNBC and The Christian Science Monitor highlighted AOAV’s investigations ‑ into BAE Systems and its links to states with poor human rights records. CNN ran multiple segments and online features on Ukraine’s “dragon drones” and the humanitarian impact of incendiary thermite payloads, citing AOAV as a technical and ethical reference point.

International print and online coverage was expansive. Japan Times analysed Myanmar’s military vulnerability amid rebel offensives using AOAV context. Al Jazeera featured AOAV commentary on the legality of Israel’s actions in Gaza and the civilian toll of its airstrikes. South Asian media including Hindustan Times, Indian Express, and The Tribune (India) covered AOAV’s findings on thermite drones and arms transfers. Anadolu ‑ Ajansı (Turkey) published a string of stories referencing AOAV—on the UK’s partial arms license suspension to Israel, on BAE Systems’ global sales, and on European states allegedly routing weapons through third countries.

Regional and local outlets amplified AOAV’s research into niche audiences. HumAngle and Punch Newspapers in Nigeria cited AOAV data in coverage of Boko Haram suicide bombings in Borno. Fakti.bg in Bulgaria, Granma in Cuba, Tempo.co in Indonesia, Hiiraan in Somalia, and Al Mayadeen English in Lebanon ‑ reported AOAV’s statistics on global IED and explosive weapon harm.

In the UK, AOAV data on firearms and knife crime appeared in The Mirror, The Independent, Telegraph and Argus, Express & Star, St Helens Star, Brecon & Radnor Express, and Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard, ‑ ‑ often in coverage of shotgun licence revocations and public safety concerns.

AOAV’s research also resonated across thematic and advocacy platforms. ReliefWeb, CAIR, ISPI, Milken Institute School of Public Health, and Human Rights Watch integrated AOAV figures into reports on Gaza, IED ‑ threats in West Africa, and the framing of gun violence as a global public health issue. Specialist engineering and technology media—including Interesting Engineering, Wonderful Engineering, and Top Buzz Times— ‑ covered AOAV’s analysis of thermite laden drones in Ukraine, extending the organisation’s reach beyond traditional policy circles.

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By the end of 2024, AOAV’s name had appeared across a diverse and global media ecosystem: from the BBC and CNN to Al Jazeera, Hindustan Times, Anadolu Ajansı, HumAngle, and ReliefWeb. Its findings shaped stories on arms transfers, modern battlefield innovation, and the unrelenting civilian toll of war.

Looking Ahead to 2025 and Beyond

The turbulence of 2024 confirmed a sobering truth: armed violence is evolving faster than the rules and institutions meant to restrain it. Civilians continue to shoulder the heaviest burden, from the shattered streets of Gaza and the drone ‑ haunted skies over Ukraine to the neglected frontlines of Sudan and Myanmar. Protecting those civilians remains the organisation’s central mission.

The year ahead will bring an expansion of advocacy on the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Political declarations are meaningless without operational change, and the organisation will press governments and multilateral institutions to translate words into restraint. Work will also intensify on the ‑ emerging challenge of AI assisted and autonomous weapons, which risk accelerating civilian harm while eroding accountability. Alongside these efforts, the organisation will deepen its focus on civilian harm ‑ prevention—combining field based casualty recording with concrete policy recommendations designed to reduce the human cost of contemporary warfare.

Strengthening international advocacy remains central to this vision. The organisation will sustain its contributions to UN forums, humanitarian networks and policy consultations, leveraging its datasets to influence debates on arms transfers, military transparency and the legal and ethical frameworks for new weapon systems. The approach blends evidence with narrative: pairing the authority of the Explosive Violence Monitor with human testimony, as demonstrated by the screening of Voice Notes from Palestine at the United Nations in 2024. The aim is to ensure that those most affected by war are not only counted but heard.

Achieving these ambitions depends on organisational resilience. Funding diversification is an immediate priority. The conclusion of Article 36 support and reliance on a narrow set of core grants make clear the need ‑ to secure new partnerships with funders, research institutions and like minded NGOs. Expanding the volunteer ‑ base, strengthening cross sector collaborations and maintaining lean operations will allow the organisation to deliver global relevance without compromising independence.

The underlying message is clear: the protection of civilians is neither peripheral nor optional. It is both a moral duty and a strategic necessity. The data collected over the past year show that urban bombardment, improvised explosives and poorly regulated arms flows are not incidental to conflict; they are central to a system that tolerates preventable suffering. Confronting that system requires evidence, persistence and allies.

In 2025 and beyond, the organisation invites donors, policymakers and partners to join in this effort. Rigorous documentation can become deterrence; careful research can drive reform. Every dataset, briefing and public intervention is aimed at shifting the balance from resignation to responsibility.

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The work rests on a simple conviction: every civilian life matters, and every preventable death represents a failure of law, policy and imagination. The task in the years ahead is to ensure that such failures are no longer accepted as inevitable. With evidence, advocacy and principled collaboration, the quiet work of documentation can help force change in a world where the cost of inaction is measured in human lives.

STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT

Action on Armed Violence was established as a charitable trust in 2007, originally called the Landmine Action Charitable Trust. The Trust’s name was changed to Action on Armed Violence in 2010. It is also a charitable company. The charity is governed under a Memorandum and Articles of Association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company.

- Operational Decision Making

The Board of Trustees, who are also Directors of the charitable company, is responsible for the governance of Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), especially with respect to representation and accountability. These responsibilities include: determining policy and strategy, appointing and overseeing the Executive director (ED), monitoring performance, managing the governance process, and providing insight, guidance and wisdom. Management is provided by the ED working with the staff of the organisation.

Recruitment & Appointment of Board Members

AOAV aims to select Board members in a manner consistent with the organisation’s equal opportunities policy. The procedure for recruiting and inducting board members is as follows:

Procedures for Board member recruitment, election, rotation/re-election and retirement continue to be developed.

Induction & Training of Board Members

New Board members are issued with an induction pack covering AOAV’s work and key policies. They meet the ED and staff to discuss strategy, policy, current and planned activities. All Trustees are invited to attend network and parliamentary meetings and relevant conferences (when time and funding permit).

The directors who served in the year are:

Dr Saleyha Ahsan Professor Ismene-Theodora Gizelis Rocco Faustus Blume Leanna Burnard Andrew Maber-Jones (Resigned April 2025) Dr Jack Denny Olivia Dix

13

Action on Armed Violence (Limited by Guarantee)

Trustees’ report for the year ending 31 December 2024: continued

Risk Management Statement

All procurement and administrative procedures are in place to ensure that authorisation and accountability lines are respected. AOAV’s Trustees recognise their collective and individual responsibilities to assess and manage risks which may affect the company in the achievement of its objectives. Internal risks are reduced by the application of appropriate controls to ensure that financial, administrative and operational procedures are effective, thus minimising the risk of financial loss and litigation against the company. All risks are assessed according to their likelihood and potential impact on organisation, and managed accordingly

Public Benefit

The Board of Trustees has complied with the requirements of Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 and has referred to the Charity Commission's general guidance on Public Benefit when reviewing its aims and objectives and in planning future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how the planned activities of the company will contribute to achieving the aims and objectives they have set.

Principal Financial Management Policies

Funds received from institutional donors are managed in line with agreed contractual arrangements. The allocation of donations from unrestricted income is decided on the basis of needs identified by AOAV Board of Trustees. Donations derived from non-institutional restricted income are allocated according to the requests of the donors.

Reserves Policy

The majority of AOAV work is funded from restricted funds. The contractual arrangements with donors cover the completion of such tasks and related financial commitments. AOAV retains unrestricted reserves to ensure the longer-term viability of the organisation and the sustainability of its programmes against short-term funding shortfalls or emergency funding requirements. The reserves balance is reviewed regularly along with the level of the organisation’s total incoming and outgoing funds. The Board considers current level of reserves to be adequate.

The minimum reserve amount is the cost of running the charity for three months; £45,000 to cover salaries and other running expenses. This is kept in general reserves. At 31 December 2024 AOAV had £49,490 (2023 £58,514) in unrestricted fund reserves allowing just over 3 months operating costs. A further £49,710 (2023: £33,349) relating to restricted income funds was held.

Financial Performance Review

AOAV closed 2024 on a stable, if cautious, financial footing. The year saw modest planned decrease in reserves alongside the end of a key funding stream, underlining both the organisation’s resilience and the importance of diversifying income.

Core support from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust (JRCT) remained the foundation of our financial stability, providing quarterly funding. Project funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs and GCRF supplemented this core income, enabling us to sustain the Explosive Violence Monitor and deliver the “Voice Notes from Palestine” film project.

14

Action on Armed Violence (Limited by Guarantee)

Trustees’ report for the year ending 31 December 2024: continued

Income in the year totalled £192,422 (2023: £170,242) of which £78,135 (2023: £76,031) related to unrestricted income funds and £114,287 (2023: 94,211) related to income restricted to specific projects. Expenditure in 2024 totaled £185,085 (2023: £169,076) of which £86,652 (2023: £100,312) was from unrestricted funds and £98,433 (2023: 68,764) related to restricted projects. There was a small operating deficit of £9,024 on unrestricted income funds in the year reduced from £24,281 in 2023, with £15,854 carried forward for restricted projects vs £25,447 in 2023.

The small deficit in unrestricted funds reduced the 2023 funds of £58,514 to £49,490 carried forward at 31 December 2024, with £49,710 (2023: £33,349) carried forward for restricted income funds.

The year also marked the conclusion of our relationship with Article 36. While anticipated, the exit reinforces ‑ the need to broaden AOAV’s donor base to maintain long term independence and capacity. We remain in ‑ early discussions with new institutional funders, including Nordic partners, to secure post 2025 continuity.

‑ Looking at the three year trend, AOAV has demonstrated prudent stewardship of its limited resources, with bank balances fluctuating within a narrow band reflecting the predictable rhythm of core grants. Expenditure ‑ remained focused on staff costs, project delivery, and the volunteer supported research initiatives that form the backbone of our output.

The forward outlook is steady but demands vigilance. To ensure sustainability beyond 2026, AOAV aims to secure an additional £50,000 per year in new support.

‑ Diversifying income—through a mix of institutional grants, project specific funding, and strategic partnerships—remains a central priority for the board and senior management.

The lesson of 2024 is that small, independent organisations can sustain meaningful global impact without large budgets, but financial resilience cannot be taken for granted. AOAV will continue to pair careful management with proactive fundraising, ensuring that our commitment to documenting and reducing armed violence is not compromised by resource uncertainty.

Small Company Rules

This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions for small companies under Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006.

15

Action on Armed Violence (Limited by Guarantee)

Trustees’ report for the year ending 31 December 2024: continued

STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES’ RESPONSIBILITIES

The Trustees (who are also directors of AOAV for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Annual Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company Law requires the Trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required to:

The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

The Trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions

In so far as the Trustees are aware:

Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees at 31 December 2024 was 6 (2023:6). The Trustees are members of the charity. The Trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity and are not remunerated.

Signed, on behalf of the Board of Trustees,

Rocco Blume

Rocco Blume Chair

16

(Limited by Guarantee)

Action on Armed Violence

Independent Examiner's Report

To the Trustees of Action on Armed Violence

I report on the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2024, which are set out on pages 18-28

Respective responsibilities of Trustees and examiner

As the charity trustees of the company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006 Act’).

Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your company’s accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the 2011 Act’). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner's statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Shruti Soni FCCA Shruti Soni Ltd 117A St Johns Hill Sevenoaks TN13 3PL Date 25 September 2025

17

Action on Armed Violence

(Limited by Guarantee)

Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure Account) For the year ended 31 December 2024

Income
Note
Donations and legacies
3
Charitable activities
4
Interest income
Total income
Expenditure:
5
Raising funds
Charitable activities
Total expenditure
Net income/(expenditure)
Transfer between funds
Net movement in funds
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
Total funds carried forward		 Total
Total
Unrestricted Restricted
Funds
Unrestricted Restricted
Funds
Funds
Funds
2024
Funds
Funds
2023
£
£
£
£
£
£
2,197
-
2,197
3,331
-
3,331
75,718
114,287
190,005
72,700
94,211
166,911
220
-
220
-
-
-
78,135
114,287
192,422
76,031
94,211
170,242
5,757
-
5,757
4,990
-
4,990
80,895
98,433
179,328
95,322
68,764
164,086
86,652
98,433
185,085
100,312
68,764
169,076
( 8,517)
15,854
7,337
( 24,281)
25,447
1,166
( 507)
507
-
-
-
-
( 9,024)
16,361
7,337
( 24,281)
25,447
1,166
58,514
33,349
91,863
82,795
7,902
90,697
49,490
£
49,710
£
99,200
£
58,514
£
33,349
£
91,863
£

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derives from continuing activities.

The statement of financial activities complies wiith the requirements for an income and expenditure account under the Companies Act 2006.

18

Action on Armed Violence

(Limited by Guarantee)

Balance Sheet As at 31 December 2024

Note
Fixed assets
Tangible Assets
8
Current assets
Debtors
9
Cash at bank and in hand
Liabilities:
Creditors: Amount falling due within one year
10
Net current assets / (liabilities)
Net assets
The funds of the charity:
13
Restricted income funds
Unrestricted income funds
General reserve
Total charity funds		 2024
2023		 2024
2023
£
7,980
99,946
£
£
£
2,398
-
15,202
87,327
102,529
10,666)
(
96,802
91,863
99,200
£
91,863
£
49,710
33,349
49,490
58,514
99,200
£
91,863
£
107,926
11,124)
(

The charity is entitled to the exemption from the audit requirement contained in section 477 of the Companies Act 2006, for the year ended 31 December 2024. No member of the charity has deposited a notice, pursuant to section 476, requiring an audit of these accounts.

The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for ensuring that the charity keeps accounting records which comply with sections 386 and 387 of the Act and for preparing accounts which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity as at the end of the financial year and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for the financial year in accordance with the requirements of sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to accounts so far as applicable to the charitable company.

These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies.

The notes on pages 20 to 28 form part of these accounts.

The accounts were approved by the Board of Trustees on 24th September 2025

Rocco Blume

Rocco Blume

Trustee Company Registration No. 06381573 Charity Registration No. 1122057

19

Action on Armed Violence

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024

1 Statutory information

Action on Armed Violence is a charitable company, limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales number 06381573 and is registered with the Charity Commission number 1122057. In the event of the charitable company being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The nature of the charitable company's operations and principle activities are to carry out research, advocacy and fieldwork in order to reduce the incidence and impact of global armed violence.

Action on Armed Violence meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note(s). There are no material uncertainties about Action on Armed Violence's ability to continue as a going concern. The financial statements are presented, to the nearest pound, in sterling which is the functional currency of the charitable company.

2 Accounting policies

2.1 Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), (Charities SORP FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006.

The financial statements have been prepared to give a 'true and fair' view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a 'true and fair view'.

The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been applied consistently to all the years presented unless otherwise stated.

2.2 Income

All incoming resources are included in the Statement of Financial Activities when the charitable company is legally entitled to the income, it is probable the income will be received and the amount can be quantified with reasonable accuracy. The following specific policies apply to particular categories of income:

Where donations and grants are restricted to future accounting periods, they are deferred and recognised in those future accounting periods. Grants for immediate financial support and assistance, or to reimburse costs previously incurred, are recognised immediately.

The charitable company receives government grants in respect of furthering its charitable objectives. Income from government and other grants are recognised at fair value.

Charitable activities includes commissioned work carried out by Action on Armed Violence staff and is recognised in the period along with other income.

Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are to be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the Trustees.

Restricted funds are to be used for particular restricted purposes within the objectives of the charitable company. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes.

20

Action on Armed Violence

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024: continued

2.3 Expenditure recognition

Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis with the irrecoverable element of VAT included with the item to which it relates and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category.

Expenditure is recognised when there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payment to third parties, it is probable and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably.

Support costs are those that assist the work of the charitable company but do not directly represent charitable activities and include office costs, governance costs, administrative and payroll costs. They are incurred directly in support of expenditure on the objects of the charitable company. Where support costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to expenditure on charitable activities on a basis constistent with the use of resources. Governance costs are those incurred in connection with the running of the charitable company and compliance with consititutional and statutory requirements.

Analysis of these costs is included in note 5.

2.4 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation

The charitable company operates a policy of capitalising fixed asset items over £1,000. Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost less estimated residual value of each asset over its expected useful life. The principal annual rates used for this purpose are:

Furniture and equipment

4 years, on a straight line basis

2.5 Leasing commitments

Rental charges are charged on a straight line basis over the term of the lease.

2.6 Debtors and Creditors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in a transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably, after allowing for any trade discounts due.

2.7 Foreign currency

The charitable company no longer operates foreign currency bank accounts.

2.8 Pensions

The charitable company now operates an Auto Enrolment defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities as they are incurred.

2.9 Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments. The trustees seek to use short term deposits to maximise the return on monies held at the bank and to manage cash flow.

The charitable company does not have a material holding in complex financial instruments.

21

Action on Armed Violence (Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 continued

3
Donations and legacies
Donations
Prior year comparatives:
Donations
Legacies
4
Income from charitable activities
Article 36
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
University of Birmingham
Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs
Other
Prior year comparatives:
Article 36
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
University of Birmingham
Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs
University of Bristol
Lush		 Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
2024
£
2,197
-
2,197
2,197
-
2,197
2023
£
2,136
-
2,136
1,195
-
1,195
3,331
-
3,331
2024
£
-
21,155
21,155
70,000
44,565
114,565
-
15,000
15,000
-
33,567
33,567
5,718
-
5,718
75,718
114,287
190,005
2023
£
-
27,805
27,805
71,200
-
71,200
-
38,528
38,528
-
26,548
26,548
-
1,330
1,330
1,500
-
1,500
72,700
94,211
166,911

22

Action on Armed Violence

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 continued

5 Analysis of expenditure

Analysis of expenditure
Cost of Governance Support
raising funds Research costs costs 2024 Total
£ £ £ £ £
Staff costs 4,252 113,162 4,252 - 121,667
Research and reports - 22,592 - - 22,592
Travel - 15,863 - - 15,863
Office costs 1,505 13,888 752 - 16,145
Communications - 3,675 193 - 3,868
Legal and professional fees - - 198 2,936 3,134
Independent examination - - 1,392 - 1,392
Meetings & governance - - 424 - 424
5,757 169,179 7,212 2,936 185,085
Support costs - 2,936 - (2,936) -
Governance costs 0 7,212 (7,212) 0 -
Total expenditure 2024 5,757 179,328 - - 185,085
Total expenditure 2023 4,990 164,086 - - 169,076
Of the total expenditure: Unrestricted Restricted Total
2024 £ 86,652
 £ 98,433 £ 185,085
2023 £ 100,312
 £ 68,764 £ 169,076
Prior year comparatives: 2023 £ £ £ £ £
Staff costs 3,860 97,355 3,860 - 105,075
Events - 1,504 - - 1,504
Research and reports - 26,388 - - 26,388
Travel - 12,191 - - 12,191
Office costs 1,130 9,604 565 - 11,299
Communications - 5,110 269 - 5,379
Legal and professional fees - 2,100 154 3,618 5,872
Grant audit and independent - - 1,368 - 1,368
Sub total 4,990 154,252 6,216 3,618 169,076
Support costs 3,618 (3,618) -
Governance costs 6,216 (6,216) -
Total expenditure 2023 4,990 164,086 - - 169,076

23

(Limited by Guarantee)

Action on Armed Violence

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 continued

6 Net income for the year

The net income for the year is stated after charging:

The net income for the year is stated after charging:
2024 2023
£ £
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets owned by
the Charity - -
Independent Examination 1,392 1,368
7 Staff costs
Staff costs during the year were: 2024 2023
£ £
Salaries and wages 110,866 96,583
Social Security costs 7,475 5,635
Employer’s contribution to defined contribution pension 3,326 2,857
schemes
121,667 105,075
Number of employees
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
2024 2023
Charitable activities 2.25 2

There was 1 employees whose annual remuneration was £70,000 or more.

The key management personnel of the charitable company included the Trustees and Chief Executive Officer. Total employee benefits paid to key management personnel including National Insurance Contributions and pension were £85,048 in 2024 (2023: £77,203).

24

(Limited by Guarantee)

Action on Armed Violence

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 continued

8 Tangible fixed assets

Cost:
At 1 January 2024
Disposals
Additions at cost
At 31 December 2024
Depreciation:
At 1 January 2024
Charge for year
At 31 December 2024
Net book value:
At 31 December 2024
At 31 December 2023		 Furniture and
Equipment
Total
£
£
825
825
-
-
2,398
2,398
3,223
3,223
825
825
-
-
825
825
-
-
2,398
2,398
-
-

Assets purchased late December 2024.

25

Action on Armed Violence (Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 continued

9
Debtors
Due within one year:
Other debtors
Prepayments and accrued income		 2024
2023
£
£
600
600
7,380
14,602
7,980
15,202

10 Creditors Amounts falling due within one year:

Trade creditors
Social Security and other taxes
Pension
Other creditors
Accruals and deferred income
11
Analysis of net assets between funds
Fund Balances at 31 December 2024 are
Fixed assets
Current Assets
Creditors: Amounts falling due
within one year
Total net assets
12
Analysis of net assets between funds -
Fund Balances at 31 December 2023 are
Tangible Fixed Assets
Current Assets
Creditors: Amounts falling due
within one year
Total net assets		 2024
2023
£
£
23
1,113
1
-
903
832
5,527
5,407
4,670
3,314
11,124
10,666
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Funds
Funds
Funds
£
£
£
represented by:
2,398
-
2,398
56,916
51,010
107,926
(9,824)
(1,300)
(11,124)		 2024
2023
£
£
23
1,113
1
-
903
832
5,527
5,407
4,670
3,314
11,124
10,666
49,490
49,710
99,200
comparative
Unrestricted
Restricted
Total
Funds
Funds
Funds
£
£
£
represented by:
-
-
-
69,180
33,349
102,529
(10,666)
-
(10,666)
58,514
33,349
91,863

26

Action on Armed Violence

(Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 continued

13 Funds - current year

The income funds of the charity include restricted and unrestricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust:

Restricted Funds
Norwegian Funding 2024: Article 36
University of Birmingham
Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs
Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust
ringfenced funds
Total Restricted Funds
Unrestricted funds:
General funds
Total funds		 At
Incoming Outgoing
Transfer
At
1 Jan 2024
between
funds 31 Dec 2024
£
£
£
£
£
-
21,155
(21,662)
507
-
27,328
15,000
(42,328)
-
-
6,021
33,567
(29,116)
-
10,472
-
44,565
5,327)
(
-
39,238
33,349
114,287
(98,433)
507
49,710
58,514
78,135
(86,652)
(507)
49,490
91,863
192,422
(185,085)
-
99,200

Restricted Funds - description

Norweigan Funding; funding as part of a consortium bid to Norwegian People’s Aid.

For AOAV this funding comes via an agreement with Article 36 and it includes monitoring and data collection for the Global Explosive Weapons Monitor.

Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust ringfenced funds

£18,750 funding to support the well being of AOAV staff, to include counselling.

£25,815 to fund travel to Afghanistan and Iraq in 2025 and future years.

University of Birmingham

DisabledVoicesfromGaza –narrative methodologies with media and information literacy (MIL) to empower university students with disabilities in Palestine.

Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs

Funding to support AOAV research and project work.

UNSCAR - United Nations Trust Facility Supporting Cooperation on Arms Regulation

Funding received for research utilising UNIDIR's EWIPA Indicators to assess the effectiveness of the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on reducing civilian harm from conventional explosive weapons in populated areas.

University of Bristol

Funding to support University of Bristol students working on internships at AOAV.

27

Action on Armed Violence (Limited by Guarantee)

Notes to the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024 continued

14 Funds - prior year comparative

The income funds of the charity include restricted and unrestricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust:

Restricted Funds
Norwegian Funding 2023: Article 36
UNSCAR
University of Birmingham
University of Bristol
Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs
Total Restricted Funds
Unrestricted funds:
General funds
Total funds		 At
Incoming
Outgoing
At
1 Jan 2023
31 Dec 2023
£
£
£
£
-
27,805
(27,805)
-
7,724
-
(7,724)
-
178
38,528
(11,378)
27,328
-
1,330
(1,330)
-
-
26,548
(20,527)
6,021
7,902
94,211
(68,764)
33,349
82,795
76,031
(100,312)
58,514
90,697
170,242
(169,076)
91,863

15 Related parties

In 2024 there are no related party transactions in the year (2023: nil).

There are no donations from related parties which are outside the normal course of business.

16 Trustees

No reimbursements were made to trustees in 2024 (2023: nil) for travelling and other expenses and no payments were made direct to trustees or third parties.

17 Pension and other post-retirement benefit commitments

Pension and other post-retirement benefit commitments
Defined contribution
2024 2023
£ £
Contributions payable by the company for the year 3,326 2,857

At 31 December 2024 £903 was outstanding (2023: £832)

18 Contingent assets or liabilities

There are no contingent assets or liabilities at December 2024 (2023:Nil).

19 Ultimate controlling party

The charitable company was under the control of the Trustees during the period under review. There is no single ultimate controlling party.

28