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South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 for her efforts to promote international law and peace.
Announcing the award, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said it 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 added.
Born in Durban on South Africa’s east coast, Pillay would go on to become the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in 2008, a post she held until 2014.
Earlier in her career, she worked as a defence attorney for anti-apartheid activists, helping establish rights for prisoners on Robben Island.
She then served as acting judge on the South African High Court and as a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
She was also appointed as a judge on the International Criminal Court in 2003, working within the Appeals Chamber until 2008.
In 2025, whilst serving as the chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel, Pillay accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has offered her congratulations to Pillay in a post on social media, saying “few have devoted their lives to justice, peace and human dignity like she did.”
“From the violence of apartheid in South Africa to the horrors of the Rwandan genocide, she has confronted some of humanity’s darkest chapters,” she wrote. “In a world that needs justice more than ever, her courage and moral clarity are a precious compass.”
The Nobel Foundation announced in September that it would raise the prize money for the prestigious awards to SEK 12 million (around €1.07 million) in each category.
“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,” Hanna Stjärne, executive director of the Nobel Foundation, said. “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.”
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