Equator banks... agreed on a new set of Equator Principles that... fail to meet the challenges of protecting Indigenous peoples’ rights and combating climate change... “It is outright astonishing that a process that set out to make the outdated 2013 version of the Equator Principles future proof, taking into account the outcomes of the 2015 Paris climate agreement... has in the end produced a document that is hardly distinguishable from the 2013 version,” said Johan Frijns, director of BankTrack. “With so little change, this [is]... truly [a] missed opportunity for the Equator Principles Association to lead the banking sector forward in dealing with the many challenges of our time.”... Osprey Orielle Lake, Executive Director, Women’s Earth and Climate Action Network (WECAN) said: "... dozens of new fossil fuel projects are proceeding in ['designated' countries] with disastrous consequences for the climate. Equator banks should have drawn a line in the sand globally, but failed to do so.”... EP4 falls short of a clear commitment to uphold Indigenous peoples’ rights including their right to grant or withhold consent for projects situated on Indigenous land and territories... There is no explicit commitment to respect FPIC in all circumstances...[T]he Principles... allow for Equator finance for new coal-fired power plants and other new fossil fuel infrastructure... Ryan Brightwell, human rights coordinator at BankTrack said: "... [T]he Equator Principles... are ignoring their UN-mandated responsibilities to respect human rights..."