The Workings of Human Rights, Law and Justice: A Journey from Nepal to Nobel Nominee

Drawing on the personal experience of a leading international jurist, this book provides insights into the workings of international law and human rights from a global perspective that transcends the traditional divide between the West and the East, and the Global South and Global North. The work follows the author’s remarkable journey from a simple village in Nepal to becoming an international jurist acclaimed for his innovative academic and influential practical legal work and nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. It offers insights into the powers bearing on international policymaking, the dynamics of human rights negotiations with governments, and the effects of their outcomes on the lives of their citizens. While much has been written on international human rights law, this inspirational memoir casts a new light on the working of human rights, law, and justice through the eyes of a leading actor. It provides a valuable contribution to the study of justice and human rights and the importance of individual action. As such, the book presents an accessible source for current debates around the development and effectiveness of international law and human rights and practices for decolonising these debates. The book will provide inspiration and practical guidance for students, academics, international lawyers, jurists, and human rights advocates.

Surya P. Subedi QC is Professor of International Law at the University of Leeds, UK, and a Barrister at Three Stone Chambers, Lincoln’s Inn, London. He has served as the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia, as an adviser on human rights to the British foreign secretary, and as legal procedural adviser to the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. He holds a DPhil and a DCL from the University of Oxford. He was elected to the Institut de Droit International in 2011. He has acted as a counsel in several cases before the International Court of Justice.