This paper is concerned primarily with the principles underlying the planning of retirement and death benefits for the employees of an international organization. The development of pension systems throughout the world is so diverse that it would scarcely be practicable within the limits of digestibility to present a comprehensive factual survey and no attempt is made to do so. The paper is confined strictly to a consideration of benefits payable at normal retirement age or on death, and ancillary benefits such as invalidity pensions are not discussed, except for occasional references when survivor and invalidity benefits are closely linked.