Objective:
To ensure that entities provide transparent, accurate, and decision-useful information regarding their preparedness for natural disasters, enabling investors, regulators, and other stakeholders to assess potential financial and operational risks.
Scope:
This guidance applies to all publicly listed companies, financial institutions, and high-risk sector entities whose operations or assets are significantly exposed to natural disasters (e.g., hurricanes, floods, wildfires, earthquakes, and extreme weather events).
- Disclosure Requirements:
- Risk Assessment: Entities must disclose identified natural disaster risks relevant to their operations, supply chains, and critical assets.
- Preparedness Measures: Disclosures should include mitigation strategies, emergency response plans, business continuity arrangements, and insurance coverage.
- Financial Impact Analysis: Entities should quantify potential financial exposures, including asset impairment, revenue loss, and contingency costs.
- Scenario Planning: Where relevant, entities must provide forward-looking analysis under different disaster scenarios, including worst-case and plausible impact scenarios.
- Transparency and Accuracy:
- Disclosures must be clear, concise, and verifiable.
- Entities are expected to link natural disaster preparedness to overall risk management and sustainability reporting.
- Auditability:
- Companies must maintain documentation that supports the reported risk assessments, preparedness measures, and financial impact estimates.
- Auditors should evaluate the consistency, reliability, and completeness of natural disaster preparedness disclosures.
- Governance Oversight:
- Boards and risk committees must oversee the integration of natural disaster preparedness into enterprise risk management frameworks.
- Disclosures should reflect board-approved strategies and management’s assessment of readiness.
- Regulatory Alignment:
- Continuous Improvement:
- Review and assess the quality of natural disaster preparedness disclosures during routine and special audits.
- Provide guidance and best practices for integrating disaster preparedness into financial and sustainability reporting.
- Monitor trends and emerging risks to update oversight expectations and ensure alignment with global standards.
