South African human rights lawyer Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday, October 9.
Pillay, 85, was honoured for her efforts to promote peace and international law. The prize is worth 12 million Swedish crowns, about $1.2 million.
Born in Durban in 1941 to a family of Indian Tamil origin, she became the first woman to open a law practice in Natal Province in 1967. Her early work included defending anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela. She later became South Africa’s first non-white woman to serve as a High Court judge.
She served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court, and as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. At the Rwanda tribunal, her rulings helped establish that rape and sexual violence could constitute genocide.
She most recently chaired the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and is currently serving as a judge at the International Court of Justice.
The Committee said international law is under tremendous pressure and described Pillay as a defender who held leaders accountable and brought hope to victims of violence and conflict.
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