Protecting the Right to Health in Investment Claims Arising from Pandemics With particular attention to Covid-19

Protecting the Right to Health in Investment Claims Arising from PandemicsWith particular attention to Covid-19AbstractThe measures taken by the host states to control the pandemics, including Covid-19, are vital to maintaining the public health, but may lead to the numerous claims by foreign investors and payment of huge compensations, as a result of which ability of the host states to maintain the public health will be greatly limited. Given that the exception clause in respect of public health is mentioned only in a small number of investment treaties, in most claims arising from pandemics, host states cannot be exempted from responsibility under international investment law for measures they have taken to control the disease. Since restricting the host state to existing defenses in international investment law means a clear overcoming of the investor's interests over the interests of the host state and ignoring the right to health of the society, this article, adopting an explorative method, refers to the relevant documents in international law and arbitration practice to determine what defenses under international law would be available for the host state in order to maintain the right to health, if the investment treaties are silent, and what would be the requirements for the host state to assert any of such defenses.KeywordsPrinciple of police powers, Customary Defense of Necessity, Covid-19 Disease, Right to health, International Human Rights Law, International Investment Law, International Customary Law, Foreign Investment Claims, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Corona Virus