The International Responsibility of the Chinese ‎Government for the Covid-19 Pandemic‎

The outbreak of the Corona Virus in China has led to a global pandemic which caused adverse effects on economic, social and humanitarian aspects of the international community. The statute of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Health Regulations (IHR) approved in 2005 are two main legal instruments aimed at preventing, responding and controlling widespread infectious diseases. These instruments oblige WHO members to notify and inform the organization about the outbreak of infectious diseases without delay and in the most efficient way. Since the right to health and the right to life, two fundamental human rights, are endangered by a pandemic, it seems that timely notification by the origin country has become a customary rule, which is reflected in United Nations Security Council resolutions. The Chinese government as a party to the above-mentioned instruments has violated its treaty and non-treaty obligations by not informing the WHO of the outbreak, as well as threatening those who tried to do so. Therefore, its international responsibility can be invoked, which will be examined in this paper. The possibility of filing a lawsuit with the International Court of Justice will also be analyzed.