The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, the 85-year-old South African jurist. She becomes the fifth South African to receive the honour. The committee cited her judicial rigour, personal integrity and considerable courage, and stressed that recognising her work matters at a time when international law is under heavy pressure. Born in Durban in 1940 to parents of Tamil descent, Pillay began her career defending anti-apartheid activists and became the first woman of colour on South Africa’s High Court.
She later presided over the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, whose rulings helped establish that rape and sexual violence can amount to crimes against humanity and genocide. One landmark case there convicted a defendant of incitement to genocide based on propaganda alone. She served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. In 2025 she chaired a UN commission of inquiry that concluded Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.
She currently sits as a judge at the International Court of Justice, which is hearing the genocide case against Myanmar over the Rohingya. UN human rights chief Volker Türk and ICC President Tomoko Akane both described the prize as a reaffirmation of the rule of law, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa praised her courage. Pillay appeared initially unaware of the announcement and joked about sharing the award with Donald Trump, before dedicating it to all survivors of international crimes. Her Tamil roots give the award particular resonance in India’s south.