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Professor Dr. Surya P. Subedi, OBE
Advocate; LLB, LLM, DPhil (Oxford)

 

 

Born in Lamjung, Khudi in 1958, Mr. Surya Prasad Subedi, has come a long way with his hard work and talent to earn doctorate from world's prestigious Oxford University and to be a popular figure in International law. He has authored three books, two of which were published by Oxford University Press. He has taught in many major universities of the world. His work has been recognised by the Governments of both Great Britain and Nepal. Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain appointed him as an honorary Officer of the most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2004 and His Late Majesty King Birendra decorated him with a high State honour (Order of Gorkha Daxin Bahu III) in 1998 for his services to international law.

We are proud of this Nepalese son who has earned big name for himself and our country. He did his schooling from Amar High School in Lamjung, Khudi. He earned his LLB from Nepal Law Campus in Kathmandu before going abroad to pursue his brilliant career.

Following is a brief description of what he has achieved so far:

• Dr. Subedi is Professor of International Law at the School of Law of the University of Leeds, England.
  
  
• He has taught most major subjects within international law throughout his academic career at seven universities in five countries.
  
  
• His current teaching and research interests include Public International Law, WTO Law, the Law of Foreign Investment, and International Commercial Arbitration.
  
  
• Prior to his appointment at Leeds, he was Professor of Law and Director of Postgraduate Affairs at the University of Hull, and Professor of International Law and Head of the Centre for Legal Research at Middlesex University.
  
  
• He also has taught international law at SOAS, University of London; City University Law Department; the Institute of Social Studies, The Hague, the Netherlands; the World Maritime University, Malmo, Sweden, and Brooklyn Law School, New York.
  
  
• He has published a large number of articles in most major international law journals, including the American Journal of International Law, International and Comparative Law Quarterly, European Human Rights Law Review, Netherlands International Law Review, German Yearbook of International Law, and the Peace Palace Paper Series of the Permanent Court of Arbitration and contributed to a good number of edited collections by leading scholars. He himself is a General Editor of the Asian Yearbook of International Law published by Martinus Nijhoff in The Hague.
  
  
• Speaking at the OBE presentation ceremony on 19th October 2004 in London, Mr Jack Straw, the British Foreign Secretary, stated that Professor Subedi had "made a highly-distinguished contribution to our understanding of international law, and to its evolution" and was "dedicated to advancing international friendship and understanding." Mr Straw went on to add that Professor Subedi's work in international law had "spanned almost every aspect of it - with a special focus on issues such as trade, investment, development, and the environment, which make a real difference to people's lives."
  
  
• Professor Subedi is a member of the Commission on Environmental Law of the World Conservation Union. He has represented the UK in the Committee on Water Resources Law of the International Law Association and is currently a UK member in the Committee on International Law on Sustainable Development. He is the Founder-Chairman of the Britain-Nepal Academic Council, London. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts of the UK in 2004.
  
  
• Dr Subedi has advised a number of countries on international legal matters. His name is included in the Roster of Panellists of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body. He has been a Consultant on international legal matters to Mishcon de Reya, a leading commercial law firm in London, and practised law in Nepal - first as an Advocate and then as a District Public Prosecutor and as an Under-Secretary in the International Law and Treaties Division of the Government of Nepal.
  
  
• During his career in the judicial service of Nepal, he also worked for the Royal Commission on Judicial Reform. He has represented Nepal in various international conferences and meetings, including the United Nations and the Non-Aligned Movement. He was Nepal's candidate for election to the UN International Law Commission in 2001, gaining the support of 60 States
  
  
• After his initial education in law in Nepal, he obtained his higher education in Great Britain, France and the Netherlands. He holds a DPhil in International Law from the University of Oxford, an LLM with Distinction from the University of Hull, and an MA and LLB from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu.
  
  
• In France, he studied human rights law at the International Centre for University Teaching in Human Rights, Strasbourg, in 1987.
  
  
• In the Netherlands, he attended the Private International Law Session of The Hague Academy of International Law in 1988.
  
  
• He was awarded the Dasturzada Pavry Prize by the University of Oxford for his doctoral thesis, the Josephine Onoh Memorial Prize by the University of Hull for best LLM student of the year in 1988, and a prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship by Younger Scholars by the British Society of Legal Scholars in 1997.
  
  
• He has been a recipient of a number of scholarships and fellowships for his higher education from various organizations, including: the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the UK, The Hague Academy of International Law, the International Law Commission of the UN and the Canadian Human Rights Foundation.