Designated & Non-Designated Countries

The Equator Principles (EP) make a distinction between Designated and Non-Designated Countries in the application of the EP.

Designated Countries are those countries deemed to have robust environmental and social governance, legislation systems and institutional capacity designed to protect their people and the natural environment. The EP Association makes no independent assessment of each country’s performance in these areas. As a proxy for such an assessment, the EP Association requires that a country must be both a member of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and appear on the World Bank High Income Country list to qualify as a Designated Country. These data sets are reviewed quarterly by the EP Association Secretariat to ensure that any change in status is reflected in the Designated Countries list.

The following countries are Designated Countries (as at 1 October 2021):