Navi Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for international justice work

The peace prize is the ​fifth Nobel awarded this week, ​after literature, chemistry, physics and medicine. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won in 2025.

Navi Pillay was chair of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory that concluded last year that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

South African jurist Navi Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote international law and prosecute war crimes and genocide. Read More: https://punchng.com/south-african-judge-navi-pillay-wins-2026-nobel-peace-prize/

The year 2026 marks the 125th anniversary of the peace prize.

OSLO, Norway — Former U.N. human rights chief Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a judge on the International Court of Justice, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in Oslo, Norway. The South Africa-born Pillay, 85 years old, was recognized for her efforts to promote peace and international law, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Pillay’s work “is a source of hope and inspiration to all those who seek to bring about a more peaceful world,” Watne Frydnes said announcing her win. Watne Frydnes said the committee had not yet been able to reach Pillay to inform her she had received the peace prize, which is often considered the most prestigious honor on the planet. “At a time when the number of wars and conflicts is rising, and when judges and institutions of international law are under political attack, the Nobel Committee wishes to issue a reminder that the ability to resolve conflicts without force or violence is dependent on the international rule of law,” the committee wrote in a news release. “An international legal system in which war criminals

Today Navi Pillay is a judge on the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide.

Ms. Pillay is a judge on the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide..

GENEVA, Oct 9 (Reuters) - The United Nations human rights office on Friday welcomed the news of Navi Pillay's Nobel Peace Prize win, acknowledging her longstanding advocacy for human rights."It is amazing news, we need more dedication and commitment to human rights," Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for theUN human rights office, told reporters in Geneva.Navi Pillay was the former head of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and a former International Criminal Court judge.

OSLO, Oct 9 (Reuters) - South African judge Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, 85, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday "for her efforts to promote peace and international law", the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.Pillay held states and national leaders accountable and brought hope to victims of violence and conflict, and demonstrated a firm moral compass in her long career, the committee said.

Navi Pillay to receive 12 million Swedish kronor ($1.2 million) in prize money

Pillay was awarded the prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

Navanethem Pillay's judicial career also demonstrated how domestic legal struggles against discrimination and repression could inform the development of international standards of accountability.

Who is Navi Pillay Indianorigin Tamil South African jurist who won Nobel Peace

The Nobel Peace Prize, often considered the most prestigious award on the planet, will be announced Friday in Oslo, Norway.

Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay is a South African human rights lawyer of Indian Tamil origin who has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. It was announced on October 9, 2026, by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The 85-year-old human rights champion received the prestigious honour for her decades-long efforts to promote peace and international law. She spent decades advocating for justice, equality and human rights. Known for her work in international law and her efforts to hold perpetrators of human rights violations accountable, Pillay has held several prominent positions in the global human rights community. Keep on reading to know more about it in detail. 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career. Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer,… pic.twitter.com/j2wve4ywZ8— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 9, 2026 Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay receives Nobel Peace PrizeNavanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay is a South African jurist and former U.N. high commissioner for human rights. She has been announced as the winner of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, she has won “for her efforts to promote peace and international law.” Born on September 23, 1941, in Durban, South Africa, Pillay grew up during the apartheid era, when racial discrimination shaped almost every aspect of life in the country. Her parents were of Indian Tamil descent, and her father worked as a bus driver.Nobel Peace Prize announced https://t.co/v3x3F3eped— Reuters (@Reuters) October 9, 2026 Despite facing racial and gender-based barriers, Pillay pursued higher education and studied law at the University of Natal. She later earned advanced law degrees from Harvard University, becoming a prominent legal professional and human rights advocate. Over the course of her career, she has served in several key judicial and international roles, including the roles on South Africa's high court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Court of Justice.Breaking barriers in South AfricaPillay made history in 1967 when she became the first non-white woman to establish a law practice in Natal, South Africa. During apartheid, she represented political detainees and people facing discrimination, using her legal expertise to challenge injustice.Her work gradually earned her recognition beyond South Africa, particularly for her commitment to protecting vulnerable communities and strengthening the rule of law.Nobel Committee Reacts After Maria Machado Offers Peace Prize To US President Donald TrumpRole in international human rightsPillay served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which investigated crimes committed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. In 1999, she became its president.

Nobel Peace Prize 2026: Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay won this year's Nobel Peace Prize. A judge on the International Court of Justice, Pillay is a human rights champion who headed the Rwanda genocide tribunal and last year accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, the prize committee said.

The Nobel Peace Prize was on Friday awarded to South Africa's Navi Pillay, a human rights champion who headed the Rwanda genocide tribunal and last year accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, the prize committee said. The post South Africa’s Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize appeared first on Vanguard News.

Her journey from a laborer neighbourhood in Durban to some of the world's most influential legal institutions is also a story of migration, discrimination and the fight for human rights.

Former UN human rights chief and International Court of Justice judge Navanethem Navi Pillay has received the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing peace and international law. 

South African jurist Navi Pillay has reportedly been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her work advancing accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

The South African jurist has been recognized “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Pillay, who is of Indian-Tamil origin, showed that legal measures can help prevent war and violence, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.

South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay ‌won the Nobel ⁠Peace Prize on Friday “for ⁠her efforts to promote peace and international law,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.

The South Africa-born Pillay, 85 years old, was recognised for her efforts to promote peace and international law, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday was awarded to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay forfor her efforts to promote peace and international law.

The South Africa-born Pillay, 85, was recognised for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

The South Africa-born Pillay, 85, was recognised for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

The South Africa-born Pillay, 85, was recognised for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

Pillay has been "instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted", said the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Judge Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay for significantly enlarging the scope and impact of international law.

”Premiul Nobel pentru Pace pe anul 2026 îi revine unei persoane care, cu un curaj și o integritate excepționale, a deschis calea către o ordine juridică globală mai cuprinzătoare. Laureata din acest an a jucat un rol esențial în asigurarea urmăririi penale a crimelor de război, a crimelor împotriva umanității și a genocidului. Comitetul Nobel […]

Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a South African jurist, is the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts in promoting peace and international law. She was announced as the winner of this year’s prize early Friday morning at a press conference by the Norwegian Nobel Committee held in Oslo, Norway. She will officially receive […]

Âgée de 85 ans, elle a notamment été juge et haut-commissaire des Nations unies aux droits de l’homme et présidente du Tribunal pénal international pour le Rwanda.

The committee said it awarded Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

Former UN human rights chief Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The South Africa-born jurist was recognised for her efforts to promote peace and international law. The announcement was made by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo on Friday. Pillay, 85, has served as a judge in South Africa, at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court. She was UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. Pillay was chair of the...

Former UN human rights chief Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a judge on the International Court of Justice, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in Oslo, Norway.

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 was awarded Friday to Navanethem Pillay "for her efforts to promote peace and international law."

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 has been awarded to Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said.

Announcing the award, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said it was going to a "person who with exceptional courage and integrity has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order."

Nobel Prize for Peace goes to South African jurist of Indian Tamil origin Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay

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OSLO, Norway (AP) — The South African-born jurist and former U.N. human rights chief Navi Pillay, who is currently an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her efforts to promote peace and international law.