SURYA ADVISORY
Our Vision
and Mission
Our Vision
and Mission
A world in which the legal sector steers key stakeholders towards ethical outcomes.
Surya Advisory supports stakeholders that are committed to the Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights (UNGPs). Using legal and development expertise and working with partners, we stimulate do no harm and just transition for underserved people.
We do this by using our legal and development expertise to integrate innovative technical drafting, dialogues and processes for do no harm, equity and positive impact into strategy and decision making.
LAWYERS HAVE A ROLE TO PLAY
Lawyers have a role to play in creating, supporting, and leading the development and integration of ethical business and societal outcomes. Surya Advisory’s unique and non-conventional legal additionality is two-fold. First, we consciously choose to provide legal advice to work that is aligned with the SDGs, the UN Guiding Principles on Business & Human Rights and the UN Framework for Climate Change. Second, we work as a broad church and are legal supporters to the ecosystem of SMEs, corporates, investors, export credit agencies, development finance institutions, state owned enterprises, governments, developers and associations. We also work with NGOs, community associations and curated action research projects housed within leading universities. We offer services in sustainable finance, energy, land rights, climate & biodiversity and loss & damage finance.
SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainability means many things. It is an immense field that is simply too big for any legal service provider or stakeholder to have a comprehensive handle on. We do not have all the answers, but we do see the challenges and opportunities that an holistic ethical approach provides. We have the people centred additionality that conventional legal service providers do not have. We are proudly anti green and purpose wash. We are pleased to share our methodology that keeps us accountable to our vision and mission.
Legal
Services
Legal
Services
FOCUS AREAS
We guide responsible conduct by focusing on ethical legal & policy recommendations & strategies for:
JUST CLIMATE ACTION
RESPECTING THE LAND RIGHTS OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES
LEGITIMATE SUSTAINABLE FINANCE PROCESSES & CREDIBLE TRANSITION PLANS
INNOVATIVE MULTI-STAKEHOLDER FINANCE FRAMEWORKS FOR JUST CLIMATE ACTION
EDUCATING WHAT IS AT STAKE IN CLIMATE RELATED RISK AND LITIGATION
LEGAL SERVICES | SPECIFICS
We support the momentum for a fair and equitable transition and seek to act as a legal guide for stakeholders to navigate this fast moving landscape. We use the law, regulatory developments and scientific research as our evidence based anchor for triggering an ethical mindset.
Within our focus areas we do the following:
Translate and define material legal Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) components
Identify stakeholders to build whole of society approaches
Conduct research, make recommendations for policy & programming and curate knowledge explainers
Identify ESG related legal, regulatory & policy developments across jurisdictions
Design and implement sustainable and human rights ‘do no harm’ based due diligence at early project design stage and co-create compliance and corporate governance strategies
Communicate what is at stake in the fast moving arena of litigation risk
ESG, LOCAL COMMUNITIES AND INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
We advise companies, investors, and civil society on the importance of placing local communities and indigenous peoples’ rights to land and a healthy environment at the heart of early project design and implementation. We convene healthy dialogues. Because development induced displacement & human rights violations should not be part of corporate footprint.
Kind Client Feedback…
‘Kinnari Bhatt led a research project for IDLO in 2022-23 that involved identifying and analyzing novel links between the rule of law, land conflict, and efforts to achieve transformative climate action, marshalling evidence from the existing literature and collecting data from a broad array of internal and external stakeholders. This was a lengthy, complex, and demanding process, the results of which exceeded our expectations in terms of depth, rigour, and originality. I would recommend Kinnari for any future work at the intersection of climate and the law, or translating analysis into actionable advice for policymakers and practitioners.’
‘Kinnari Bhatt has been a pleasure to work with. She provided clear guidance from the outset, conducted a more in-depth analysis that we expected, and her advice was thorough and very well researched and written.’
‘Kinnari Bhatt has been great to work with. She brings unique expert insights and rigour as well as flexibility and responsiveness to the task at hand.’