South Africa’s Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Former United Nations human rights chief and International Court of Justice judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to international law, the Nobel Committee announced on Friday in Oslo, Norway.

The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Pillay, a South African judge who headed the tribunal for the Rwanda genocide and presided over a UN commission that accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza last year.

Pillay, currently a judge at the International Court of Justice in a case in which Myanmar is accused of genocide, has been “instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted”, said Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Pillay headed the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which does not speak on behalf of the world body and which concluded last year that genocide was occurring in Gaza.

She told Agence France-Presse at the time that her team had shared “thousands of pieces of information” with prosecutors at the International Criminal Court.

The United Nations said the award was a testament to the value of human rights.

The Nobel Committee said it honoured Pillay at a time when “the system of international law is under tremendous pressure and its institutions are under attack”.

“At a time of existential challenges — including more wars and conflicts than the world has seen in a long time — international law is no longer just a supplement to peace and security. It is an absolute necessity,” Frydnes said.

The committee described Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass as constants throughout her long career.

The award, one of the world’s most prestigious diplomatic and humanitarian honours, is likely to draw criticism from US President Donald Trump, whose administration has repeatedly attacked international justice institutions.

Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has openly expressed his desire to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

“If you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump,” Pillay said to a standing ovation in Nuremberg, in remarks captured by Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard and posted on X.

Last year’s prize went to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who subsequently presented her Nobel gold medal to Trump during a meeting at the White House.

The Nobel Peace Prize comes with a gold medal, a diploma and prize money of $1.2 million.

The award will be presented at a formal ceremony in Oslo on December 10, marking the anniversary of the 1896 death of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor and philanthropist who established the prizes.

The Peace Prize is the only Nobel awarded in Oslo, while the other prizes are announced in Stockholm.

On Thursday, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Canadian poet Anne Carson for her innovative work drawing on Greek mythology and classical antiquity to create new forms of writing.

The 2026 Nobel season will conclude on Monday with the announcement of the economics prize.

Credit: France 24