Navi Pillay, champion of international justice, awarded 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a former UN human rights chief whose career spans the anti-apartheid struggle, the Rwanda tribunal and the UN inquiry into Gaza, has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored Pillay, 85, “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” saying her commitment to universal legal principles and her “firm moral compass” have been constants in a long career. In historic international court cases, the committee said, she showed that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence.

From Durban courtrooms to The Hague

Oslo City Hall, venue of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony

Born into a South African family of Indian Tamil origin, Pillay became the first woman to open a law practice in Natal province in 1967 and defended anti-apartheid activists. She later became the first woman of color on South Africa’s High Court, served on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda — where rulings recognized rape and sexual violence as crimes against humanity and genocide — and sat as a judge at the International Criminal Court before serving as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.

Most recently she chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which concluded that Israel was responsible for committing four genocidal acts in Gaza.

Navi Pillay as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (file photo)

Mixed reactions

Israel’s Foreign Ministry described the decision as a “grotesque weaponisation,” and U.S. President Donald Trump said the committee had “demeaned” the prize. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa praised her “courage, integrity and lifelong commitment.” The prize, worth 12 million Swedish crowns (about $1.2 million), will be presented in Oslo on Dec. 10.