Judge Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Judge Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for work on international law

South African jurist Navi Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her lifelong work defending international law and advancing accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the honour on October 9, 2026, citing her lifelong "efforts to promote peace and international law".

The committee highlighted her "firm moral compass" and her instrumental role in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted globally. Pillay is a South African jurist who served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. The indentured Indian-origin Pillay, 85, originally from Clairwood, was recognized for her efforts to promote peace and international law, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The award is often considered the most prestigious honour on the planet. This year marks the 125th anniversary of the peace prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said: "Navi Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career.

“Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation and exclusion.

“A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time."