Navanethem "Navi" Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law. The announcement was made Friday in Oslo, Norway, by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes stated that the prize recognizes a person who has led the way toward a more comprehensive global legal order with exceptional courage and integrity.
The 85-year-old South African jurist is a judge on the International Court of Justice and a former UN human rights commissioner. As a human rights lawyer, Pillay previously defended Nelson Mandela and other activists during the apartheid era. She also served as a judge on the International Criminal Court, which was sanctioned by the Trump administration last year.
The Nobel jury honored Pillay for her commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass, as well as her work strengthening the institutions of international law. The committee stated that she has been instrumental in ensuring that genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity are prosecuted.
Additionally, Pillay led a U.N. commission that investigated the war in Gaza. Last year, that commission found that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians.