Oslo: South African jurist Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday.
The committee recognised Pillay for holding states and national leaders accountable for their actions and bringing hope to victims of violence and conflict. Her career has included challenging apartheid in South Africa, serving as a judge in major international legal cases and leading the United Nations human rights office.
The committee said her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who opposed apartheid was connected to her later service in international courts. It also highlighted the importance of strengthening international law at a time when judges and legal institutions face political pressure.
The prize is worth 12 million Swedish kronor, approximately US$1.2 million. The award ceremony is scheduled to take place in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Alfred Nobel, who established the prizes in his will.
Pillay, 85, was born in Clairwood, Durban, South Africa, on September 23, 1941, into a family of Indian Tamil origin. She grew up under apartheid, a system that imposed racial segregation and denied equal rights to the majority of South Africa's population.
Despite the discrimination faced by Black South Africans, Pillay built a legal career focused on defending people whose rights were threatened. In 1967, she became the first woman to establish her own law practice in Natal. She later became the first Black woman to serve as a judge in the High Court in Natal.
Her early legal work included defending people targeted by the apartheid authorities. These experiences helped shape her commitment to human rights and the principle that everyone should have equal protection under the law.
Pillay later took her work into the international justice system. In 1995, she joined the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which was established to prosecute those responsible for serious crimes committed during the 1994 genocide.
She served as president of the tribunal from 1999 to 2003. One of the important cases during her judicial career was the trial of Jean Paul Akayesu, a former Rwandan local official convicted of genocide and crimes against humanity.
The case helped establish that rape and other forms of sexual violence could constitute acts of genocide when committed with the required intent to destroy a protected group. It became an important development in international criminal law and strengthened efforts to recognise and prosecute sexual violence during mass atrocities.
Pillay subsequently served as a judge at the International Criminal Court. She left the court in 2008 to become the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, a position she held until 2014.
As the UN human rights chief, she led the organisation's work to promote and protect human rights around the world. Her responsibilities covered issues including discrimination, violence against women, the rights of minorities and abuses committed during armed conflicts.
Pillay also co founded Equality Now, an international organisation that works to advance the rights of women and girls. Her work in this area reflected her wider commitment to ensuring that people who face discrimination have access to justice and equal protection.
In more recent years, Pillay chaired the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
In September 2025, the commission published a report concluding that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza. It also found that senior Israeli officials had incited these acts. Israel rejected the findings, describing the report as scandalous.
The commission's conclusions have formed part of wider international debate over the war in Gaza, civilian protection and accountability for alleged violations of international law. The report's findings should be distinguished from a final judgment by an international court.
The United Nations human rights office welcomed Pillay's Nobel Peace Prize win on Friday. Shabia Mantoo, a spokesperson for the office, described the announcement as encouraging news and expressed hope that it would inspire more people to speak out in defence of human rights worldwide.
Pillay's award comes at a time when international conflicts and disputes over the application of international law remain major global concerns. The Nobel Committee has stressed that peaceful conflict resolution depends on respect for the rule of law and the ability of international institutions to operate without political interference.
Her career has connected the struggle against racial discrimination in South Africa with efforts to hold individuals and governments accountable for serious crimes around the world. Her work in international courts and the United Nations has also highlighted the importance of protecting victims and ensuring that allegations of grave human rights violations receive proper scrutiny.
Pillay's Indian Tamil heritage is an important part of her background, but her achievements have been shaped by her life in South Africa and her work in international justice.
The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize recognises her longstanding efforts to promote peace, protect human rights and strengthen international law. It also draws attention to the role of legal institutions in addressing violence and helping victims seek justice.