The Revised OECD Principles of Corporate Governance and their Relevance to Non-OECD Countries

The OECD Principles of Corporate Governance were revised in 2004 to respond to corporate governance developments including corporate scandals that further focused the minds of governments on improving corporate governance practices. Since they were first issued in 1999, the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance have gained worldwide recognition as an international benchmark for sound corporate governance. They are actively used by governments, regulators, investors, corporations and stakeholders in both OECD and non-OECD countries and have been adopted by the Financial Stability Forum as one of the Twelve Key Standards for Sound Financial Systems. The 2004 revision of the OECD Principles reflects not only the experience of OECD countries but also that of emerging and developing economies. This article shows how the revised Principles take into account recent lessons from non-OECD countries so that they continue to maintain their global relevance.