Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Surya Deva is a Professor at the Macquarie Law School and Director of the Centre for Environmental Law at Macquarie University. He is also the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development and a Co-Director of the Teaching Business and Human Rights Forum. Deva is an internationally recognised scholar in the field of business and human rights. He served as a member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (2016-22). Deva has advised UN agencies, governments, national human rights institutions, multinational corporations, trade unions and civil society organisations on issues related to his expertise. He researches in the areas of business and human rights, comparative constitutional law, international human rights law, sustainable development, climate change, and gender equality.
Deva has published extensively in areas of his research expertise (see SSRN). His publications have been cited in reports of international organisations, parliamentary bodies, and civil society organisations. Deva's publications have made significant impact on shaping law and policy at national, regional and international levels in the business and human rights field. He also regularly contributes op-eds and blogs on topical issues in diverse outlets (SCMP; The Conversation; Völkerrechtsblog; OpinioJuris; Verfassungsblog; OpenGlobalRights).
He has presented over 100 papers at international conferences and workshops, and delivered keynote address at several conferences such as those organised by the Council of Europe, National Human Rights Commission of Korea, University of Oslo, Canadian Network on Corporate Accountability, LAWASIA, Korea University Human Rights Center, Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, and Jawaharlal Nehru University. Deva was invited to speak at the American Society of International Law Annual Meeting (2016) and (2022), one of the most prestigious annual conferences in the field of international law.
Deva has also delivered seminars and guest lectures at institutions such as University College Oxford, Essex Law School, UCL Faculty of Laws, British Academy, British Institute of International and Comparative Law, Cambridge's Lauterpacht Centre of International Law, UCLA School of Law, Duke Law School, University of Oslo, University of Vienna, University of Cape Town, University of Heidelberg, Seoul National University, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy Singapore, Renmin University of China Law School, University of Hong Kong, UNSW Faculty Law, and Sydney Law School.
Prior to joining Macquarie, Deva was an Associate Professor at the School of Law of City University of Hong Kong. Previously he taught at the University of Delhi and the National Law Institute University Bhopal. He holds BA (Hons) Political Science, LLB and LLM from the University of Delhi and a PhD from the University of Sydney.
Deva is one of the founding Editors-in-Chief of the Business and Human Rights Journal, and sits on the Editorial/Advisory Board of the Netherlands Quarterly of Human Rights, the Vienna Journal on International Constitutional Law, the Indian Law Review, and the Australian Journal of Human Rights. He is an elected Vice President of the International Association of Constitutional Law (2022-26).
Deva regularly comments in mainstream media, including ABC TV, Al Jazeera, Channel 4, CNN Digital, The New York Times, The Guardian, Reuters, Financial Times, The Atlantic, Le Temps, South China Moring Post, The Huffington Post, India Today, and RTHK Radio 3.
Research interests
Business and human rights
Sustainable development
Climate change
Comparative constitutional law
Gender equality
Research student supervision
Business and human rights
Corporate regulation and accountability
Sustainable development
Climate change
International human rights law
Comparative constitutional law
Freedoms and democracy in Hong Kong
Teaching
LAWS5036 Modern Corporate Governance
LAWS2400 / LAWS8040 Torts
LAWS5078 PACE: B&HR Access to Justice Lab
Education/Academic qualification
PhD, Sydney Law School
Award Date: 2 Oct 2007
LLM, University of Delhi
Award Date: 14 Mar 1999
LLB, University of Delhi
Award Date: 13 Apr 1996
External positions
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development
1 May 2023 → …
Vice President, International Association of Constitutional Law
7 Dec 2022 → …
Adjunct Professor, City University of Hong Kong
1 Oct 2021 → 30 Sept 2025
Visiting Professor , Royal University of Law and Economics, Cambodia
1 Jul 2021 → 30 Jun 2025
Core Advisory Group on Business and Human Rights, National Human Rights Commission of India
Feb 2021 → 30 Apr 2022
Member, UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights
1 May 2016 → 30 Apr 2022
Editor-in-Chief, Business and Human Rights Journal
1 Dec 2014 → …
Elected Member, Executive Committee, International Association of Constitutional Law
2014 → 5 Dec 2022
Associate Professor / Assistant Professor, City University of Hong Kong
8 Aug 2005 → 31 Aug 2021
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 7 Finished
-
Access to Justice Lab on Business and Human Rights
Deva, S., Harris, H., Ghezelbash, D., Willis, S., Taylor, M., Nolan, J., Sinclair, A. & Poonjatt, J. J.
13/10/22 → 30/06/23
Project: Research
-
Capacity Building and Awareness Raising on Business and Human Rights
1/09/22 → 30/11/22
Project: Consultancy
-
Sustainable Investment Agreements: The Case of India
Deva, S., Alam, S. & Ranjan, P.
10/08/22 → 31/12/22
Project: Research
-
-
-
Addressing (in)equality in redress: human rights-led reform of the investor-State dispute settlement mechanism
Deva, S. & Van Ho, T., Jun 2023, In: The Journal of World Investment and Trade. 24, 3, p. 398-436 39 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile2 Citations (Scopus)12 Downloads (Pure) -
A global south perspective on labour rights and supply chains for a post-growth world
Deva, S. & Anand, P., Jul 2023, (Accepted/In press) Labour law utopias: post-growth and post-productive work approaches. Bueno, N., ter Haar, B. & Zekić, N. (eds.). Oxford University PressResearch output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
-
Beyond human rights due diligence: what else do we need?
Deva, S., Ramasastry, A. & Wettstein, F., Jun 2023, In: Business and Human Rights Journal. 8, 2, p. 133-134 2 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Editorial
-
Mandatory human rights due diligence laws in Europe: a mirage for rightsholders?
Deva, S., Jun 2023, In: Leiden Journal of International Law. 36, 2, p. 389-414 26 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile5 Citations (Scopus)29 Downloads (Pure) -
Roundtable discussion: Do we need stronger global governance arrangements to hold big business to account?
Deva, S., 2023, (Accepted/In press) Global Political Economy. Phillips, N. (ed.). Oxford University Press, p. 159-160 2 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
-
Role of Business in Realising the SDGs
Surya Deva (Speaker)
24 Aug 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
-
Strengthening Resilience in Asian Supply Chains
Surya Deva (Speaker)
20 Mar 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
-
Climate Litigation in Comparative Contexts - Cases Against Private Actors
Surya Deva (Speaker)
12 May 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
-
The Role of Business in Conducting Responsible International Trade
Surya Deva (Speaker)
7 Sept 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
-
Corporate climate actions for a just transition
Surya Deva (Speaker)
8 Jun 2023Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk
Press/Media
-
-
Wall Street accused of whitewashing China crackdown in Hong Kong
31/10/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
-
China promised Hong Kong its freedoms, but 25 years later the deal is fraying
1/07/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment
-
Hong Kong chief executive election 2022: ‘John Lee’s campaign team mull cash donations to guard against US sanctions’
21/04/22
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
-
Why is China choosing now to ratify forced labour conventions?
12/04/22
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Comment