South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law. The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award on Friday, October 9, recognising her work to ensure that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.
The 85-year-old legal pioneer dedicated the distinction to survivors of international crimes. The Nobel Committee praised her exceptional courage and integrity at a time when international justice institutions face growing political pressure.
Pillay chaired the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which investigated alleged violations of international law in Israel and the Palestinian territories. The commission concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a finding that Israel has strongly rejected.
Speaking at a press conference in Nuremberg, Germany, where Nazi leaders were tried after the Second World War, Pillay reflected on the significance of receiving the award in a city associated with historic international justice proceedings.
In a lighter moment, she joked that she might share the prize with US President Donald Trump if the audience applauded a little louder, according to a video shared by Amnesty International Secretary General Agnès Callamard.
A pioneering legal career
Born into a Tamil family of Indian origin in Durban, South Africa, during apartheid, Pillay built a career challenging discrimination and defending human rights.
In 1967, she became the first woman to establish a law practice in her home province of Natal. She represented anti-apartheid activists, exposed the use of torture and helped secure important rights for prisoners held on Robben Island, according to the UN human rights office.
Following the end of apartheid, she became the first non-white woman appointed to South Africa’s High Court. She later served as a judge and president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she played an important role in establishing that rape and sexual violence could constitute crimes against humanity and genocide.
Pillay subsequently served as a judge at the International Criminal Court from 2003 to 2008 and as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
A voice for international justice
The Nobel Committee said Pillay’s career demonstrates how international legal institutions can help prevent violence, hold perpetrators accountable and support victims of serious crimes.
The award also highlights concerns about mounting pressure on international courts and the broader system of international law. The committee stressed that respect for the rule of law is essential to peaceful conflict resolution.
Pillay is the fifth South African to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, following Albert Luthuli, Desmond Tutu, and Nelson Mandela and Frederik de Klerk, who shared the award in 1993.
She currently serves as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice in the case in which Myanmar is accused of genocide against the Rohingya.
Her 2026 Nobel Peace Prize recognises a career spanning the struggle against apartheid, international criminal justice and the defence of human rights.
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