Topical issues of international responsibility in the light of the fight against coronavirus

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented damages for contemporary society. Unfortunately, international regulations have not been effective enough to minimize harm, however, academics and state representatives widely speculate on claiming compensation from the responsible state. The paper examines whether grounds for international responsibility exist. In order to achieve thorough results, research is divided into three parts. Firstly, the obligations of States are analyzed through the prism of international responsibility law. Secondly, the possibility of claiming the WHO responsible as the main international organization in the field is assessed. The analysis indicates that the critical problem with claiming compensation from any State is the lack of particular obligation owed to injured states. The scope of contemporary regulations is limited to the duty to notify WHO. Therefore, the general focus of the third part of the paper is on the shifted from attempts to claim responsibility, to arguments in favor of development and perfection of regulations. The last part of the research also focuses on ways to reform regulations on combating infectious diseases to clarify possible responsibility in the future. The analysis indicates that emphasis on responsibility is not sufficient for defining effective ways to combat diseases and provides methodological ways for further research in this area.