COVID-19 and the World Health Organization: further exposing weaknesses in the foundation of the law of responsibility

McArdle, Scarlett

Abstract

The focus on the state within the development of the law of responsibility has left it stunted. The principles of responsibility in relation to organisations are problematic in themselves but become further limited when facing the growth of other non-state actors. The chapter focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic to argue that the law of responsibility is complex in its application to the World Health Organisation in its own right, but becomes further complicated with the involvement of complex and distinct non-state actors, such as philanthropic organisations and public-private partnerships. In doing so, the chapter argues that there are problems within the very foundation of responsibility that will only become exacerbated as the global system evolves.

Citation

McArdle, S. (2024). COVID-19 and the World Health Organization: further exposing weaknesses in the foundation of the law of responsibility. In A. Berkes, R. Collins, & R. Deplano (Eds.), Reassessing the Articles on the Responsibility of International Organizations: From Theory to Practice (263-286). Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035309115.00023

• Publication Date: Oct 17, 2024
• Deposit Date: Feb 11, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 18, 2025
• Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Pages: 263-286
• Book Title: Reassessing the Articles on the Responsibility of International Organizations: From Theory to Practice
• ISBN: 9781035309108
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035309115.00023
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/45307096
• Publisher URL: https://www.elgaronline.com/edcollchap/book/9781035309115/book-part-9781035309115-23.xml