Covid-19 and “New” Human Rights

In cooperation with the Global Pandemic Network, this Symposium delves into the multi-faceted relationship of the current COVID-19 pandemic with so-called “new” human rights. Human rights both demand action against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and set limits to this same state action. While these conflicting injunctions put political leadership as well as parliamentary opposition and the judiciary under pressure, so-called “new” human rights further complexify the picture. The Symposium gathers perspectives from around the world on this complex relationship, ranging from theoretical contributions to the discussion of “new” human rights such as the right to a healthy environment, the right to energy, or the right to science in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.