South Africa lawyer Navanethm 'Navi' Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize for efforts to prosecute war crimes and genocide

Former International Criminal Court judge Navanethem "Navi" Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her work promoting peace and international law.

Pillay has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay has served as a judge on the High Court in South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court.

She served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.

"Navi Pillay has held states and national leaders accountable and brought hope to victims of violence and conflict," The Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a statement. "In all the positions she has held, she has stressed the responsibility of individuals and states to comply with the rule of law."

Frydnes said the committee hadn't yet been able to reach Pillay to notify her of the award she has been given.

"My message to her would be 'if you see a Norwegian number calling, please pick up'," he told reporters from Oslo.

The award is given each year to a person or institution that has "done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations," as per the will of Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel. The winner is selected by a committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament.

Last year's laureate was Venezuelan opposition leader Marina Corina Machado, awarded for her work promoting democratic rights in the country. Machado later gave her prize to President Donald Trump in what some had described as an attempt to influence his efforts to shape Venezuela's future.

Trump had openly campaigned for the coveted prize before it was awarded to Machado, and on Wednesday made a fresh bid for it, claiming he had settled eight wars.

Earlier this year, Trump linked his aggressive push to take control of Greenland to being snubbed for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Earlier peace laureates include the Japanese anti-nuclear weapons organization Nihon Hidankyo, Maria Ressa and Dmitry Andreyevich Muratov for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression in the Philippines and Russia, and former U.S. president Barack Obama.

In 2026, laureates receive 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.2 million).