Matiangai V. S. Sirleaf (University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law) has posted Covid-19 and Cooperation in Times of Disaster (Cambridge Handbook of Disaster Law and Policy (Susan S. Kuo, John Travis Marshall & Ryan Rowberry eds., 2022)) on SSRN. Here is the abstract:
The coronavirus pandemic has made it apparent that nation states have different capacities to detect, effectively respond to, and manage highly infectious diseases. Concomitantly, the resources necessary to support robust health systems are distributed inequitably, which inevitably places greater stress on societies with the most vulnerable health infrastructure. Every nation, even those predicted to have comparatively robust health capacities, found their health systems overwhelmed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This chapter analyzes the international obligations of capacity-building and cooperation. It finds that international disaster law is a helpful framework for responding to complex international emergencies which span different legal regimes. It concludes that the potential utility of international disaster law for addressing issues witnessed with the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond is worth greater investigation.
