Indian appointed UN adviser on human rights and businesses

Indian-origin law professor Surya Deva has been appointed by the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council as an adviser on human rights and multinationals and businesses.

The Council approved in Geneva on Thursday his appointment to the position formally known as "Special Procedure Mandate Holder".

He will be a member of the four-member Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.

Deva is an associate professor at the City University of Hong Kong's School of Law. He specialises in human rights and businesses, as well as Indian and Chinese constitutional law, corporate social responsibility and development.

According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the advisers report annually to the Council and in most cases to the UN General Assembly.

They take up individual cases and broader concerns in their fields with government, convene consultations with experts and "contribute to the development of international human rights standards".