IRMSA Risk Report 2026/27 – UmphakathiVuka
Southern Africa is entering the 2026–2027 period with risk as a defining feature of how we govern, invest and lead, yet the IRMSA Risk Report argues that this moment is also rich with possibility. At the heart of this edition is UmphakathiVuka – Awakening the Forest – a people‑first mindset that positions organisations, sectors, communities and institutions as interconnected trees within a single living ecosystem. The Report shows how governance failures, economic fragility, infrastructure decline, inequality, climate stress, systemic crime, cyber vulnerability, water scarcity and energy insecurity have converged into an interconnected meta‑crisis that shapes every development choice. But it also frames each of the Top 10 Risks as an opportunity pathway, i.e. to rebuild a capable state, unlock inclusive growth, modernise critical infrastructure, invest in climate resilience and digital security, and restore social cohesion through ethical leadership and accountable governance. Through scenarios, sector and regional lenses, and a practical Call to Action grounded in King V and a 5W1H framework, the Report invites leaders to treat risk intelligence as a strategic asset and resilience as a collective national project. The future forest will be shaped less by the shocks we face than by the courage, foresight and collaboration we choose to exercise now.
From Guidance to Action: Exploring Practical Enterprise Risk Management
COSO’s “From Guidance to Action: Exploring Practical Enterprise Risk Management” (2026) focuses on making ERM decision‑useful rather than compliance‑driven. It argues that strategy and risk are inseparable and that ERM should influence real choices, not just generate registers, heat maps and RCSAs. The paper introduces ten ERM operating disciplines, including linking strategy and risk, treating value creation as a required outcome, making risk appetite usable, managing risk as a portfolio, prioritising decisions over documentation, measuring value not activity, and embedding ERM into business rhythms. It emphasises lightweight, decision‑led practices: clear trade‑offs, ranges, triggers and ownership at key decision points. Through personas, case examples and a practitioner “translation guide”, it shows how organisations can apply the COSO ERM Framework under real constraints to provide clearer choices, earlier pivots, fewer surprises and stronger board confidence.
Enhanced Combined Assurance Framework for South African Organisations – Example Only
This framework provides South African organisations with a comprehensive approach to implementing combined assurance aligned with King V Principle 12. Combined assurance integrates all assurance activities across the three lines model (operational management, risk/compliance oversight, and internal audit) plus external providers, eliminating fragmentation that typically results in 15-25% inadequate risk coverage and 10-15% duplication. The framework comprises six core components: integrated architecture, assurance mapping methodology, governance mechanisms, integrated planning, consolidated reporting, and quality assurance. Implementation follows a phased 12-24 month roadmap across foundation, integration, operationalisation and maturity phases. Research shows organisations with structured implementation achieve 30-40% better coordination, identify emerging themes 40-50% faster, and reduce 20-30% planning overlap. The framework positions combined assurance as a strategic governance capability that enhances board effectiveness, optimises assurance resources, and strengthens stakeholder confidence in organisational integrity.
Integrated Strategy, Risk & Resilience (ISRR) Toolkit: Phase 4 Templates
Integrated Strategy, Risk & Resilience (ISRR) Toolkit: Phase 4 Templates Phase IV (Monitor, Review, Record and Report) contains specifications for an ISRR dashboard that combines strategy KPIs, risk and resilience metrics, integrated board and committee reporting templates, and an integrated reporting input template that links ISRR to value creation, preservation and erosion. It further includes……...
Integrated Strategy, Risk & Resilience (ISRR) Toolkit: Phase 3 Templates
Integrated Strategy, Risk & Resilience (ISRR) Toolkit: Phase 3 Templates In Phase III (Perform and Achieve), the toolkit shifts into execution with an integrated strategy process guide, a strategy workshop pack, a strategic initiative charter, a risk treatment and resilience planning matrix, a multi‑year resilience roadmap, and templates for incident management, crisis management, business continuity……...
Integrated Strategy, Risk & Resilience (ISRR) Toolkit: Phase 2 Templates
Integrated Strategy, Risk & Resilience (ISRR) Toolkit: Phase 2 Templates Phase II (Context Enablement) provides an integrated environmental scan and foresight template, stakeholder mapping and response canvases, ISO 31000‑aligned risk assessment packs, an integrated risk register structure, a resilience universe self‑assessment, terms of reference for an ISRR Working Group, and training material on integrated thinking……...
Integrated Strategy, Risk & Resilience (ISRR) Toolkit: Phase 1 Templates
Integrated Strategy, Risk & Resilience (ISRR) Toolkit: Phase 1 Templates In Phase I (Commit and Mandate), the toolkit offers templates for an Integrated Strategy–Risk–Resilience Policy, governance charters for the board, executive and committee structures, a RACI for ISRR roles, a risk appetite statement, a strategic decision paper with an explicit appetite check, and a leadership……...
Integrated Strategy, Risk & Resilience (ISRR) Toolkit: Phases 1-4
The ISRR Implementation Roadmap and Toolkit is a practical resource that helps organisations integrate strategy, risk and resilience into one coherent framework across the enterprise. It is structured around four phases: Commit and Mandate, Context Enablement, Perform and Achieve, and Monitor, Review, Record and Report. Each phase is supported by customisable templates and tools in familiar formats (Word, PowerPoint, Excel), covering policies, governance charters, risk appetite, integrated environmental scanning, stakeholder analysis, risk assessment, resilience self‑assessment, strategy and initiative design, incident and crisis management, business continuity, and IT disaster recovery. It also includes designs for an integrated dashboard, board and committee reports, integrated reporting inputs, maturity assessment, integrated assurance and lessons‑learnt registers. The toolkit is intended for educational use and must be tailored to each organisation’s legal, regulatory and strategic context.
The Leader’s Guide to Owning Risks and Driving Risk Based Decision Making
This guide positions risk ownership as a core leadership behaviour, not a technical or compliance task. It urges executives to shift risk from governance ritual to delivery confidence: asking forward‑looking questions, surfacing uncertainties early, and using risk appetite to shape real trade‑offs. Leaders must send consistent signals that early escalation is valued, stop penalising bad news, and turn business reviews into tests of confidence rather than comfort. Success is evident when risks are raised before issues, appetite drives decisions, and risk‑based decision making becomes a leadership habit.
WEF Global Risk Report – 2026
The 2026 Global Risks Report warns that an age of intense global competition is eclipsing multilateral cooperation, driving uncertainty and systemic fragility. Geoeconomic confrontation and state-based armed conflict dominate short‑term risks, while economic downturn, debt burdens and asset bubbles intensify concern over financial stability. Societal polarization, fuelled by inequality and mis/disinformation, is eroding trust, weakening social contracts and pressuring democratic institutions. Environmental risks fall down the two‑year agenda but remain the most severe over a 10‑year horizon, as extreme weather, ecosystem degradation and stressed infrastructure threaten long‑term resilience.