Surya Subedi

Professor Surya P. Subedi is a distinguished academic and practitioner in international law at the University of Leeds, with concurrent roles at Oxford University and Exeter College. His expertise spans public international law, emphasizing international investment law, WTO Law, maritime boundary disputes, and human rights. As a King’s Counsel and practicing barrister, he bridges scholarship with legal practice, serving as an ICSID arbitrator and WTO panellist.

• DPhil (Oxford, 1993) with prize
• Doctor of Civil Law (DCL, Oxford, 2019)
• Doctor of Laws (LLD) honoris causa (Hull, 2020)

Subedi’s research explores cross-civilizational human rights, maritime law, and judicialization of international institutions. His 12 books and 60+ articles analyze tensions between investment law and human rights, notably in his 2022 memoir documenting his journey from Nepal to UN advisory roles.

He has significantly influenced policy through positions like UN Special Rapporteur for Cambodia (2009–2015), where his land reform report became a government reference, and World Economic Forum Task Force membership (2015–2017). His work in Southeast Asia includes advising Vietnam on WTO accession and Indonesia on legal education.

• Order of the British Empire (OBE, 2004)
• Suprabal Gorkhadaxinbahu (Nepal, 1998)
• Dasturzada Pavry Memorial Prize (Oxford, 1993)
• SPTL Prize for Outstanding Legal Scholarship (1997)

As an editor of the Asian Journal of International Law (2015–2022) and Routledge book series editor, he shapes global legal discourse. His dual recognition through Oxford’s eponymous prizes (2020) and Royal Asiatic Society’s Subedi Prize (2024) underscores his legacy in legal education and human rights.