Nobel Peace Prize 2026 goes to Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law

South African judge Navanethem "Navi" Pillay has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

Navanethem "Navi" Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The Peace Prize committee praised the South African's commitment to international justice. The prize has been awarded 106 times to 143 laureates between 1901 and 2025. This week, Nobel laureates have already been named in medicine, physics, chemistry, and literature.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued "warm congratulations" to Pillay online on Friday. He noted her various roles, from apartheid South Africa through to the Rwanda genocide litigation, her time as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and chairing the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. In all these roles, Guterres said, Pillay "has shown that the force of law must prevail over the law of force and that defending human rights is the surest safeguard against injustice." He said the prize was "a tribute to all those working to uphold and defend international law, the rule of law and human rights, and secure peace, justice and human dignity."

It was a fitting location for Navi Pillay's first press conference as a Nobel Peace Prize winner: The post-World War II courtroom in the German city of Nuremberg, where Nazi war criminals went on trial. Pillay herself said it was "perhaps meant to be," that she received news of the award while attending this year's Nuremberg Forum. The historic setting is seen as the birthplace of modern-day international law, and Pillay reminded world leaders of their obligations to uphold it. "This award strengthens my conviction that we must stand together in defense of the rule of law, in defence of independent courts, and an international legal order based on principle," she said. Against the background of political attacks on international law and the International Criminal Court, the world risked returning to a system in which "power rather than law determines whose suffering matters," she emphasized. Pillay said she wanted to dedicate this year's award to "all of the survivors of international crimes."

The German government paid its tribute to Navi Pillay shortly after the announcement of her award. Pillay's work fighting against apartheid and for human rights, justice and international law deserves the "highest respect," government spokesman Steffen Meyer said in Berlin. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said Pillay "stood for the idea that peace is grounded in justice." He went on to praise her for her verdicts at the ICJ concerning the genocide in Rwanda and her work as head of the UN human rights commission. Awarding her the Nobel Peace Prize not only honored her own work, but was also an "important commitment to international criminal justice."

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated jurist Navi Pillay on winning the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, describing the award as a tribute to her lifelong commitment to justice, peace and human dignity. "She has served humanity with principle and the belief that the world can and should be a better place," Ramaphosa said in a statement issued by his office. He praised Pillay's pioneering work as a defense lawyer for anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela, and her subsequent career in international justice. Pillay went on to serve as a judge and president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and later as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She currently serves as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a genocide case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar. South Africa has itself brought a separate case before the ICJ, accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention through its military campaign in Gaza. Israel rejects the allegations. "Justice Pillay's crowning as winner of the Nobel Prize allows us to celebrate the progressive contributions she has made to strengthen peace, uphold human dignity and bring hope in South Africa and to peoples globally," Ramaphosa said.

Israel's Foreign Ministry has sharply criticized the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay, accusing her of spreading false allegations against Israel. "If there were an award for lies, hatred, and blood libels, Navi Pillay wouldn't just be a contender. She'd be a frontrunner," the ministry said in a statement. It accused Pillay of the "politically motivated demonization of Israel" and promoting what it called the "genoLIE," a reference to allegations that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Pillay previously chaired a UN commission of inquiry that concluded in September 2025 that Israel had committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. The commission is among a growing number of international bodies, human rights organizations and genocide scholars to reach that conclusion. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said awarding Pillay the prize amounted to the "grotesque weaponization" of the Nobel Peace Prize to legitimize anti-Israel prejudice.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has praised Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay as a champion of international justice who has confronted some of humanity's darkest chapters. "Few have devoted their lives to justice, peace and human dignity like she did," von der Leyen wrote on X. "She is the defender of the persecuted, the vulnerable, the voiceless and the excluded. Of the rule of law over the right of might," she wrote.

South African jurist Navi Pillay has joked that she might share her Nobel Peace Prize with US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly made clear his desire to win the prestigious award. "If you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump," Pillay said as she received applause in Nuremberg, Germany.

The United Nations has welcomed the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay, saying it highlights the growing importance of human rights. "It's wonderful to see this being awarded to Navi Pillay, the former High Commissioner for Human Rights," said Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN human rights agency.

Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard has welcomed the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay, calling it "such a great and inspired choice." Callamard praised Pillay's longstanding commitment to international law and justice, saying the award came at a particularly critical moment. "At a time when both international law and justice are under attack, when too many states attempt to hollow them out, her Nobel Peace Prize could not come at a better time," she wrote on X.

Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes has warned of a dangerous shift towards a world in which might takes precedence over right, as he announced the Nobel Peace Prize for South African jurist Navi Pillay. "Whenever might overtakes right, it undermines stability, trust and peaceful coexistence," Frydnes said. He warned that the international legal order was facing an increasingly serious challenge, with powerful countries often escaping accountability for their actions. "We see a shift towards power politics at the expense of legal frameworks and global respect for law and justice," he said.

Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes praised Navi Pillay's contribution to international justice, saying: "The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 goes to a person who, with exceptional courage and integrity, has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order." Frydnes also highlighted Pillay's lifelong commitment to justice. "Pillay's commitment to universal legal principles and a firm moral compass have been constants in a long career." He also noted her early experiences under apartheid. "Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation and exclusion," the committee chair said.