Eighty-five-year-old South African jurist, former UN human rights chief and International Court of Justice judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to international law, the Nobel Committee announced on Friday in Oslo, Norway.
Announcing the award, Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes said the prize was going to a “person who with exceptional courage and integrity has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order. This year’s laureate has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted,” he said.
Born in Durban in 1941, Pillay grew up under apartheid and became one of South Africa’s first women of Indian descent to practise law. She defended anti-apartheid activists and fought against discriminatory prison conditions.
After apartheid, she became a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she helped establish landmark legal precedents recognising rape as an act of genocide. She later served as a judge at the International Criminal Court and as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
More recently, she chaired a UN commission investigating human rights violations in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
Frydnes said: “In historic international court cases, she has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence. Navi Pillay has also contributed to strengthen the institutions of international law. Her independence, her expertise and steadfastness have made her one of the most respected international jurists of our time.”
The Nobel Foundation announced in September that it would increase the prize money for the prestigious awards to SEK 12 million (around R20 million) in each category.
Nobel Foundation executive director Hanna Stjärne said: “This year, we are celebrating the 125th anniversary of the Nobel Prize, and in connection with this, we are pleased to be able to increase the prize amount by one million. By increasing the prize amount, we uphold the long-term significance of the Nobel Prize and ensure that the financial part of the prize retains its value over time.”
