Realising Economic and Social Rights Beyond COVID-19: The Imperative of International Cooperation

Abstract

The imperative of international cooperation for realising economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) has been a largely neglected theme in the theory and praxis of this category of human rights. The current Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought to the fore the need to address this major gap. This paper adopts a Third World Approach to International Law (TWAIL) to deconstruct the dominant nationalist and isolationist approach to realising ESCR in making the case for a paradigm shift to an international cooperation model. The international cooperation model is apt for upholding and advancing human dignity as envisaged by the United Nations human rights system.