LA CLÁUSULA DE FUERZA MAYOR Y EL COVID-19: RIESGOS LEGALES DE UN ARMA DE DOBLE FILO

The document examines how the COVID-19 pandemic and associated government responses create a 'double-edged sword' for states, as both companies and governments may invoke force majeure to avoid contractual or treaty obligations. It advises governments to seek pragmatic, short-term negotiated solutions with companies and to avoid making broad legal arguments against force majeure that could later undermine their own defenses in international investment disputes.

• Force majeure is defined as an event beyond an entity's control that prevents a company or government from fulfilling obligations as originally written, potentially allowing them to cease compliance without facing financial penalties.
• Governments face a strategic dilemma where force majeure acts as a 'double-edged sword': while companies may use it to escape obligations to the state, governments may also need to invoke it to justify their own responses to COVID-19 in contractual disputes or investor-State disputes under international investment treaties.
• China has already declared that force majeure applies to many commercial contracts signed by its companies, likely to protect them from foreign claims regarding non-delivery of products or failure to acquire contracted inputs.
• Governments are advised to avoid making broad public statements or short-term legal arguments against the use of force majeure, as such positions could prejudice their ability to use the same defense in future litigation regarding their own pandemic measures.
• There is a risk that law firms and third-party funders are seeking to bring cases against states, claiming that COVID-19 measures violate international and contractual obligations, necessitating a risk assessment of government exposure to breach-of-contract claims.

APA

Mann, H. (2020). LA CLÁUSULA DE FUERZA MAYOR Y EL COVID-19: RIESGOS LEGALES DE UN ARMA DE DOBLE FILO. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/force-majeure-covid-19-es.pdf

Chicago

Mann, Howard. LA CLÁUSULA DE FUERZA MAYOR Y EL COVID-19: RIESGOS LEGALES DE UN ARMA DE DOBLE FILO. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2020. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/force-majeure-covid-19-es.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mann |first1=Howard |title=LA CLÁUSULA DE FUERZA MAYOR Y EL COVID-19: RIESGOS LEGALES DE UN ARMA DE DOBLE FILO |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2020 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/force-majeure-covid-19-es.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mann2020clusula, author = {Mann, Howard}, title = {{LA CLÁUSULA DE FUERZA MAYOR Y EL COVID-19: RIESGOS LEGALES DE UN ARMA DE DOBLE FILO}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2020}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/force-majeure-covid-19-es.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }