Navi Pillay, 85, wins Nobel Peace Prize for lifelong fight for international justice

Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, South African jurist and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long efforts to promote peace and international law.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award in Oslo on Friday, October 9, praising her as a “towering figure” in international justice.

The 85-year-old was born in Durban to a family of Indian Tamil origin. She grew up during apartheid and became the first woman to open a law practice in Natal Province in 1967. 

She defended anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela, and later helped establish that rape and sexual violence could constitute acts of genocide as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She went on to serve on the International Criminal Court and as UN human rights chief from 2008 to 2014.

Recently, Pillay chaired the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which concluded in 2025 that Israel had committed genocide acts in Gaza. The committee said the prize recognizes her “whole week,” emphasizing that international law is “under tremendous pressure” and its institutions “under attack.”

Upon learning of the award while attending a legal conference in Nuremberg, Pillay said she was “reeling with surprise” and dedicated the prize to “all survivors of international crime.”

She also joked, “If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump,” referencing last year’s laureate Maria Corina Machado, who gave her medal to the US president.