South African judge Navi Pillay, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her role in promoting peace and international law.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said that Pillay's efforts paved the way for the establishment of a "more comprehensive global legal system."
During her decades-long career, Pillay, 85, has participated in prominent judicial work and investigations into accusations of human rights violations, particularly in Rwanda, Myanmar and Gaza.
At the beginning of her career, she defended anti-apartheid activists in South Africa, becoming on Friday the fifth person from her country to win the Nobel Peace Prize, after prominent figures including Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
The head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Wattne Fredens, said that Pillay played “a crucial role in ensuring that the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.”
He added that her commitment to universal legal principles and her “strong moral compass” have remained constant throughout her career.
He continued: "At a time when the world is facing existential challenges, including wars and conflicts in numbers not seen in a long time, international law is no longer just a complementary factor for peace and security, but rather has become an indispensable necessity."
The head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Wattne Fredens, said that the committee was unable to inform Pillay in advance that she had won the prize, adding: “Therefore, my message to her is: If you see a call from a Norwegian number, please answer it.”
A short time later, Pillay commented on the news of her victory, saying: “It must be a joke,” and thanked the audience who gathered to applaud her.
She joked with the audience, saying: “If you clap a little more, I might share this award with Trump.”
The announcement of Pillay winning the Nobel Peace Prize came hours before the administration of US President Donald Trump unveiled broad sanctions on the International Criminal Court.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the sanctions, which include banning American entities from dealing with the court, aim to "defend American sovereignty," accusing the court of seeking to prosecute American citizens.
“Either the ICC ends its threats, or we end the court’s existence,” Rubio warned.
For its part, the court denounced the US sanctions, describing them as an attack on the rule of law and the foundations on which the international legal system is based.
Washington had already imposed sanctions on 17 of the court's judges and officials, but the new measures target the court itself as an institution, and aim to cripple its ability to continue its operations financially.
The sanctions include exceptions that mitigate their immediate impact, and in effect give the court's member states a six-month period to make progress in addressing American concerns.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against whom the court issued an arrest warrant on charges of committing crimes in Gaza, welcomed the American decision, describing the court as a "political body."
In his statement, Rubio did not refer to Pillay winning the award, but he stressed that the measures aim to protect members of the security services and elected officials from prosecution before a court that the United States has not joined.
Navanethem Pillay, known as "Na'vi", grew up in South Africa during the apartheid era. She is the daughter of a bus driver, and grew up in a poor neighborhood inhabited by a community of Indian origin in Durban.
In 1967, she became the first woman to establish a law firm in Natal, and later became the first non-white woman to be appointed judge of the Supreme Court of South Africa.
Pillay served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which was established with support from the United Nations to prosecute crimes committed during the 1994 genocide, in which about 800,000 people were killed. She also served as president of the court for four years.
Between 2021 and 2025, she chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, a fact-finding committee established by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate alleged violations of international law.
The commission concluded that Israel committed acts of genocide in Gaza and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Galant “incited the commission of genocide” through their speeches and statements.
The committee, composed of three experts, did not officially speak on behalf of the United Nations, nor did it have any judicial authority. Israel rejected the results of its investigations, and accused the three members of being "agents of Hamas."
The committee had concluded in a previous report that Hamas and other armed Palestinian groups committed war crimes and other serious violations of international law during the attack on October 7, 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage. The same report accused Israel of committing war crimes.
Commenting on Pillay's winning of the award on Friday, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that awarding her the award represents "a distorted use of the award to legitimize hatred and bias against Israel."
The ministry added in a statement: “Its role in constantly distorting the image of Israel with political motives, and promoting the lie of genocide, reveals a lot.”
Friedens said the Nobel Committee does not take a position on whether the Israeli military attack on Gaza rises to the level of genocide.
Pillay is currently participating as a judge in a case before the International Court of Justice, in which Gambia accuses Myanmar of committing genocide against the Rohingya minority.
Myanmar denies that it deliberately sought to eradicate the Muslim minority, with a government representative telling the court in January that the accusation was “not based on evidence.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said that honoring Pillay represents “a new affirmation that human rights, the rule of law, justice and accountability form the fundamental foundations of everything, from peace and security to prosperity.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that Pillay was "a pioneering lawyer defending anti-apartheid activists" and worked to "preserve human dignity and spread hope in South Africa and among the peoples of the world."
Amnesty International's Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said that she was with Pillay when she learned that she had won the award, and described her selection as "an inspiring choice."
She added: "At a time when international law and justice are under attack, and when many countries are trying to empty them of their content, her winning the Nobel Peace Prize could not have come at a more appropriate time."
