SA’s Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize for championing peace and international law

South African jurist Navanethem "Navi" Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her longstanding dedication to justice and global legal norms.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee made the announcement on Friday in Oslo, honoring the 85-year-old human rights advocate for what it described as "her efforts to promote peace and international law."

Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes commended Pillay for maintaining a steady moral stance across decades of public service. According to the committee, she consistently worked to hold governments and world leaders responsible for their actions while offering support to survivors of war and oppression. The panel highlighted a continuous trajectory in her career, linking her early legal representation of anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela, to her subsequent roles presiding over landmark international trials.

Pillay previously served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and has held prominent judicial roles in major international tribunals. More recently, she led the United Nations Commission of Inquiry focusing on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. That commission drew global attention the previous year when it determined that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza, a finding that Israeli authorities rejected and termed "scandalous."

The Nobel Peace Prize includes an award of 12 million Swedish crowns, which translates to nearly 20 million South African rand. Pillay will formally receive the honor during a ceremony scheduled for December 10 in Oslo, the date marking the death of award founder Alfred Nobel.

This recognition marks the fifth Nobel Prize revealed during the week, following earlier announcements in physiology or medicine, physics, chemistry, and literature. Pillay succeeds the 2025 peace laureate, Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado.