Law Professor joins Hague's new human rights group
Surya Subedi, Professor of International Law, has been appointed to a prestigious new Human Rights Advisory Group by the Foreign Secretary William Hague.
The new group has been established to give the Foreign Secretary the best possible information about human rights challenges, and so the Foreign Office can benefit from outside advice on the conduct of its policy.
Professor Subedi, who already serves as the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Cambodia, said: "When it comes to speaking out on the issues of human rights and democracy internationally, Britain's is still a voice the world listens to and respects above many others. The fact is that Britain is treated with a higher degree of respect because of our contribution to shaping the modern international agenda of human rights.
I was pleased when the Foreign Secretary stated that the promotion and protection of human rights internationally would be a top priority of British foreign policy. I am looking forward to working as a member of this Advisory Group with the task of assisting the British Government in promoting human rights worldwide."
The group will meet for the first time on 2 December 2010. Fellow members are as follows.
- Kate Allen, Director of Amnesty International UK
- Dr Chaloka Beyani, LSE and UN Special Rapporteur on Internally Displaced People
- Dr Agnés Callamard, Director of Article 19
- Joel Edwards, International Director of Micha Challenge
- Malcolm Evans OBE, University of Bristol, UK member of the United Nations Sub-committee on the Prevention of Torture
- Sapna Malik, Partner, Leigh Day and Co. Solicitors
- Professor Susan Marks, LSE
- Tim Otty QC, Blackstone Chambers
- Tom Porteous, Director of Human Rights Watch, London
- Sir Nigel Rodley, University of Essex, Member of the UN Human Rights Committee
- Dame Barbara Stocking, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB
- Professor Surya Subedi OBE, University of Leeds and UN Special Rapporteur for Cambodia
- Sir Nicholas Young, Chief Executive, the British Red Cross.
All the individuals have been invited in a personal capacity to provide external advice on human rights in foreign policy and suggest options for addressing human rights problems. The Foreign Secretary will chair the group and it will hold two meetings a year. Junior ministers and Foreign Office officials will also chair additional meetings on key issues agreed by the group.
Foreign Secretary William Hague said: "Human rights are essential to and indivisible from the UK's foreign policy priorities. The members of this group are eminent individuals with a broad range of human rights experience, drawn from NGOs, the legal and academic communities and international bodies.
I am delighted that they have agreed to join this Group and look forward to working with them to improve and strengthen our international human rights work."
