Occupational pensions play a major role in OECD countries and worldwide, complementing retirement income from state sources. At the end of 2009, private pension savings reached USD 25 trillion. Population ageing has led many OECD countries to undertake a wide range of pension reforms – the overall effect of which has been to reduce public pension promises and, in turn, to increase the importance of private pension savings for retirement.

The Core Principles cover seven key areas: i) Conditions for effective regulation and supervision; ; ii) Establishment of pension plans, pension funds, and pension fund managing companies; iii) Pension plan liabilities, funding rules, winding up, and insurance; iv) Asset Management; v) Rights of members and beneficiaries and adequacy of benefits; vi) Governance; and vii) Supervision. Each of the seven core principles consists of a main text and a set of implementing guidelines. In the case of the core principle of supervision, the supporting guidelines integrate the IOPS Principles of Private Pension Supervision.

The Methodology provides a structured approach for evaluating a jurisdiction’s occupational pension regulatory system in relation to the OECD Core Principles of Occupational Pension Regulation.