The human rights issues emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping the globe are unprecedented and wide-ranging. In this episode, Daragh Murray is joined by Judith Bueno de Mesquita and Koldo Casla to discuss the right to health and economic and social rights, but also the importance of international solidarity extending beyond human rights. Plus, we hear from Human Rights Centre alum Matteo Bassetti, who gives an insight into the current situation in Italy, where they are more than two weeks into a nationwide lockdown.

Judith Bueno de Mesquita is a Lecturer and Co-Deputy Director of the Human Rights Centre in the School of Law and Human Rights Centre. Her research focuses on health and human rights, development and rights, and economic, social and cultural rights. She has particular interests in sexual and reproductive health, as well as the work on health and rights of UN institutions. Her current research focuses on the relationship of health and other social rights, and climate change, health and rights. She is currently the coordinator of the Economic and Social Rights Academic Network UK and Ireland (ESRAN UKI).

In this blog post, Judith explores key human rights questions for the UK in the COVID-19 pandemic: https://hrcessex.wordpress.com/2020/03/23/covid-19-key-human-rights-questions-for-the-uk/

Dr Koldo Casla is Lecturer in Law and Deputy Director of the Human Rights Centre Clinic. He leads the Centre’s 'Human Rights Local' project. Between 2016 and 2019, Koldo was the Policy Director of Just Fair, leading the organisation's research, strategic communications, partnerships and campaigning on economic and social rights in the UK.

Read Koldo’s piece on the importance of solidarity beyond human rights: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/transformation/coronavirus-beyond-human-rights/