ISO/TS 31050:2023
Risk management — Guidelines for managing an emerging risk to enhance resilience
Overview
What is ISO/TS 31050:2023?
ISO/TS 31050:2023, Risk management — Guidelines for managing an emerging risk to enhance resilience, is an ISO Technical Specification that provides guidance for managing emerging risk, meaning risks associated with new or changing circumstances where data, information and knowledge may be limited. It helps organisations anticipate change, recognise early warning signals, and strengthen their resilience. Organisations are not certified against ISO/TS 31050. It complements ISO 31000 and can also support risk-related requirements and management practices within certifiable standards such as ISO 22301:2019.
The Core Idea
What makes emerging risks different
More established risks are often better understood because organisations have more historical data and experience to draw on, which usually makes them easier to estimate and plan for. Emerging risks are different. They may have no clear precedent, limited reliable data, and effects that are difficult to predict.
Examples often discussed include new technologies, climate-related change, shifts in regulation, supply chain disruption, and wider economic or social change. ISO/TS 31050 helps organisations manage these risks proactively rather than encountering them only after they become significant.
Emerging risks can create threats as well as opportunities, so organisations should also consider how changing conditions may create beneficial outcomes.
What It Helps You Do
Key focus areas of ISO/TS 31050:2023
ISO/TS 31050 guides organisations of any size or sector, including organisations operating across Angola industries, to manage risks that are still taking shape and to build resilience.
Anticipating Change
ISO/TS 31050 guides organisations to look ahead and consider risks that are still forming, rather than only reacting to risks that have already occurred.
Detecting Weak Signals
Emerging risks often appear first as weak signals: small, easy-to-miss indications that something is changing. The guidance encourages organisations to watch for these early warnings.
Assessing Uncertainty
Because data and information about emerging risks are often limited, these risks cannot always be assessed with the same level of confidence as more established risks. ISO/TS 31050 focuses on judging how significant a risk could become, and how quickly, even when the likelihood is unclear.
Informing Decisions
The guidance helps organisations connect emerging risk to strategy and day-to-day decisions, so that what is learned about the future actually shapes what the organisation does.
Building Resilience
ISO/TS 31050 supports resilience through connected abilities: anticipating and preparing for change, responding and recovering when disruption occurs, and adapting as circumstances evolve.
Connecting to Continuity
Emerging risk management works closely with business continuity. Anticipating disruption early complements the ability to keep operating through it.
How It Fits
How ISO/TS 31050 works with ISO 31000
Most organisations already manage risk in some form. ISO/TS 31050 does not replace that work; it extends it to a harder problem: risks that are only beginning to emerge, where data, information and knowledge may be limited and there is little clear precedent to rely on.
ISO 31000: the overall approach
ISO/TS 31050: emerging risk specifically
Greater resilience
Why It Matters
Benefits of applying ISO/TS 31050:2023
ISO/TS 31050 helps organisations move emerging-risk management from an informal activity towards a structured capability that protects and strengthens the organisation.
Earlier Risk Awareness
Recognise risks while they are still forming, before their potential effects become significant.
Better Decisions Under Uncertainty
Make informed strategic choices even when data is incomplete or the future is unclear.
Stronger Resilience
Build the ability to anticipate, respond to and adapt as conditions change rather than only reacting to disruption.
Risk Linked to Strategy
Connect emerging risk work to long-term planning and everyday decision-making.
Stakeholder Confidence
Show clients, partners, and stakeholders that your organisation looks ahead and manages uncertainty in a structured way.
Supports Certifiable Systems
Can complement the risk-related requirements and management practices within certifiable standards such as ISO 22301:2019, ISO 9001:2015, and ISO/IEC 27001:2022.
How UCS Can Help
Turning resilience into certification
UCS holds accreditations from GAC and ASIB. For organisations seeking independent third-party certification, a possible next step is certification of their management system against an applicable certifiable standard, such as ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2026 or ISO 45001:2018, subject to the relevant accreditation scope. UCS also offers certification against ISO 22301:2019 for business continuity. As a certification body, UCS does not design, implement or operate a client's management system. Below is the process UCS follows for the standards it certifies.
Application
Submit your application to initiate the certification process.
Certification Agreement
A formal agreement will be shared for your review and signature prior to commencement.
Stage 1 Audit
An initial review of relevant documented information, certification scope, and readiness for the Stage 2 audit against the applicable standard.
Stage 1 Audit Report
A detailed report outlining findings, observations, areas of concern, and issues requiring attention will be shared with you.
Stage 2 Audit
An on-site or remote assessment evaluating the implementation, effectiveness, and conformity of your management system.
Final Report & Certification
Upon completion of the Stage 2 audit, a comprehensive report will be issued. Any identified nonconformities must be addressed before certification is formally granted.
Common Questions
ISO/TS 31050:2023 Frequently Asked Questions
What is ISO/TS 31050:2023?
ISO/TS 31050:2023, Risk management — Guidelines for managing an emerging risk to enhance resilience, is an ISO Technical Specification that provides guidance rather than auditable requirements. It helps organisations identify, assess, and respond to emerging risks, meaning risks associated with new or changing circumstances where data, information and knowledge may be limited. It complements ISO 31000 and focuses on emerging risk and organisational resilience.
Can you get certified to ISO/TS 31050:2023?
No. ISO/TS 31050 is a Technical Specification that provides guidance rather than auditable management system requirements, so organisations are not certified against it. For a related and certifiable goal, UCS offers certification against ISO 22301:2019 for business continuity.
What is the difference between ISO/TS 31050 and ISO 31000?
ISO 31000 provides principles, a framework and a process for managing risk across an organisation. ISO/TS 31050 applies that approach to emerging risk specifically, adding guidance on weak signals, uncertainty, and resilience. Neither ISO 31000 nor ISO/TS 31050 is intended as a certifiable management system standard; they are designed to work together.
Who is ISO/TS 31050:2023 for?
It is written for organisations of any size or sector that want to manage risks that are new, uncertain, or still developing, and to strengthen their ability to adapt. It is most useful where change is fast and the consequences of being unprepared are high.
Is ISO/TS 31050:2023 mandatory in Angola?
No. ISO/TS 31050 is voluntary guidance and is not itself a certifiable management system standard. Specific contractual or regulatory requirements should be confirmed with the relevant client, authority or regulator.
Often Certified Together
Related Certifications
Many businesses pair this standard with one of the certifications below.
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