The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Navanethem Navi Pillay, 85, a South African jurist, judge of the International Criminal Court and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. The announcement was made on Friday, October 9, by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.
Born in 1941 in Durban to a family of Tamil descent, Pillay began her career as a lawyer during apartheid, working against racial discrimination and defending Nelson Mandela and other opponents of the regime. She was the first non-white woman to serve on the High Court of South Africa and served as a judge on the International Criminal Court and as President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
In 2015, she joined the International Commission against the Death Penalty and, most recently, chaired the UN Independent Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territories, East Jerusalem and Israel. As chair of this commission, Pillay, in a statement issued on 16 September 2025 by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), presented the conclusions of a report that found that the Israeli authorities had committed acts of genocide against the Palestinian population of Gaza.
"Everyone keeps asking me: when will you stop?" - emphasizes the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate in a short statement from the city of Nuremberg, published in a video on X by Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard, noting that she remains dedicated to international justice.
"I am currently still involved as an ad hoc judge in the proceedings initiated by Gambia against Myanmar," she explains, recalling the case before the International Court of Justice regarding allegations of genocide against the Rohingya minority.
"The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 is awarded to a person who, with extraordinary courage and integrity, paved the way for a more comprehensive global legal order. This year's laureate played a key role in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted."
These are the words of the long citation for the awarding of the Navanethem "Navi" Pillay Award.
"Throughout her career," the citations further state, "Pillay maintained a strong moral compass and an unwavering respect for fundamental principles of justice, helping to strengthen the role and effectiveness of international law."
At a press conference following the announcement, Jorgen Watne Frydnes, Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, explained that the Peace Prize awarded to Navi Pillay is "a message to those who attack and undermine the international system and its institutions."
When journalists wanted to know why the prize was given to a single individual and not an international court or any other body, Frydnes reiterated that Pillay "was at the forefront of the development of international law for decades, up until today," making her the ideal winner.
A more sporadic commitment than ever, as confirmed by Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office in Geneva: "This is extraordinary news; we need commitment, and even greater commitment to human rights."
While European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen commented:
"In a world that needs justice more than ever, her courage and moral clarity are a precious compass."
