The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, the South African jurist and former UN human rights chief. The committee announced the prize in Oslo on 9 October, citing "her efforts to promote peace and international law".

A career in courtrooms

Pillay was born in Durban in 1941 to a family of Indian Tamil descent. She opened her own law firm in 1967 and defended anti-apartheid activists. In 1995 she was appointed to the country's High Court.

Her best-known work came at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she served as a judge and later as president from 1999. The tribunal established that sexual violence can constitute genocide and a crime against humanity, a precedent that changed how international courts treat rape in war.

She went on to sit as a judge at the International Criminal Court, served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, and in 2019 became an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice in the Rohingya genocide case. From 2021 to 2025 she chaired the UN commission of inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Divided reactions

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa congratulated her as the fifth South African to receive the prize. UN Secretary-General António Guterres called it a tribute to everyone defending international law and human rights.

The reaction in Washington and Jerusalem was hostile. President Donald Trump criticised the committee's choice, and his administration announced further sanctions on the International Criminal Court. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the committee had "lost its moral compass".

Why it matters

The committee received 287 nominations this year, 208 individuals and 79 organisations. By choosing a judge rather than a peace negotiator, it signalled that it sees courts and accountability as part of how wars end. The prize will be presented in Oslo on 10 December.

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