Articles for tag: COVID-19, Multilateralism, Völkerrecht, WHO

The Law of the WHO, COVID-19 and the Multilateral World Order

A new virus, SARS-CoV-2, emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. Infected persons developed an atypical form of pneumonia, later known as COVID-19. The pathogen created a pandemic, with fatalities throughout the world, and also led to the adoption of restrictive measures which were, until recently, unthinkable, as well as fostering new political conflicts. Even the path of the multilateral order in its current form is at stake. For a take on these issues under international law, the legal regime of the World Health Organization (WHO) and its response to the pandemic provides an insightful access.

24. April 2020

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The WHO After Corona: Discretionary Powers for the Next Pandemic?

Imagine the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the outbreak of the mysterious lung ailment in the Chinese city of Wuhan a potential public health emergency of international concern already in late December 2019. It might have been just in time to halt the spread of the disease which by now has become a supreme global emergency of unforeseen proportions.

27. März 2020

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Taiwan’s Fight against COVID-19: Constitutionalism, Laws, and the Global Pandemic

Taiwan has demonstrated to the world its strength and success in combating the spread of COVID-19 despite decades of exclusion from the World Health Organization (WHO) and ongoing bullying from the People’s Republic of China (China). Given its geographical proximity and close economic exchanges with China, Taiwan was estimated to be heavily hit by the spread of COVID-19 originated from Wuhan, China. Reversing the trend, Taiwan has maintained a considerably low number of confirmed cases, and detected most cases of possible community spread, while Europe, the United States and the rest of the world are struggling with an ongoing global pandemic.

21. März 2020

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Coronavirus, Health Emergencies and Public Law Issues

The outbreak of the “new” Coronavirus disease triggered an epidemic potentially evolving into a pandemic. Italy is one of the most affected areas, with 3.858 cases, confirmed by tests that public authorities are extensively performing on the population. Taking a closer look, this scenario highlights a number of challenging issues that can teach us valuable “public law lessons”.

6. März 2020

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