South African jurist Navanethem (Navi) Pillay won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, October 9, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced in Oslo. The committee recognised her work for peace and international law, highlighting her contribution to prosecuting war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Born in Durban under apartheid, Pillay built a legal career challenging discrimination and defending opponents of racial segregation. According to the United Nations, she established a law practice in Natal in 1967 and became the first black woman appointed to South Africa's High Court in 1995. Her work included defending the rights of political prisoners.
The UN said Pillay joined the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in 1995 and served there for eight years, including four as president. A landmark 1998 judgment established that rape and sexual violence could constitute genocide when carried out with the intent to destroy a protected group. She later served at the International Criminal Court from 2003 to 2008.
Pillay was UN high commissioner for human rights from 2008 to 2014 and chaired the UN inquiry into the occupied Palestinian territory and Israel from 2021 to 2025, according to the UN. Reuters reported that the commission found Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a finding Israel rejected. That conclusion belongs to the inquiry and is distinct from a judgment by a court.
UN human rights chief Volker Türk welcomed the award on Friday as a shared victory for human rights and people seeking justice, Reuters reported. He said it underscored the importance of international criminal accountability, including the International Criminal Court. Türk described the recognition as covering Pillay's work across many conflicts, beyond Palestine.
According to Reuters, the prize is worth 12 million Swedish crowns, about $1.2 million, and is due to be presented in Oslo on December 10. The ceremony falls on the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death; he established the awards through his 1895 will. Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado received the peace prize in 2025.
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