Navi Pillay: Nobel Peace Prize 2026 Winner: Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, an 85-year-old South African judge and human rights lawyer, won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 9, according to CBS News. The Norwegian Nobel Committee cited her “efforts to promote peace and international law” in awarding the prize, which marks the 125th anniversary of the honor, CBS News reported.
The committee received 287 nominations for this year’s prize, according to CBS News. Pillay will receive 12 million Swedish kronor, approximately $1.2 million, CBS News reported.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said he had been unable to reach Pillay before the announcement. He said from the podium that if she was watching and saw a call from a Norwegian phone number, “please pick up,” according to CBS News.
Navi Pillay: Nobel Peace Prize 2026 Winner
The Norwegian Nobel Committee framed its choice around the state of international law at a moment of global conflict. “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 said, according to NPR.
Frydnes credited Pillay directly for her record on the bench. “Navi Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career,” he said, according to the BBC. He added that her work had been “instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted,” the BBC reported.
A Career Built On Fighting Apartheid And Prosecuting Atrocities
Pillay grew up in a poor Indian section of Durban, South Africa, during apartheid, the daughter of a bus driver, according to the BBC. In 1967, she became the first woman to establish a law practice in Natal Province and went on to defend anti-apartheid activists early in her career, the BBC reported. She later became the first non-white woman appointed to South Africa’s high court, according to the BBC.
Pillay served on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, including four years as its president, NPR reported. She also served as the United Nations’ human rights chief and chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 2021 to 2025, according to NPR and the BBC. That commission concluded that Israel had committed genocidal acts in Gaza, the BBC reported.
Pillay currently sits as a judge on the International Criminal Court, according to CBS News. She is also a judge on the International Court of Justice, where she is hearing the case in which The Gambia has accused Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya people, the BBC reported.
With the award, Pillay became South Africa’s fifth Nobel Peace Prize winner, following Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, according to the BBC.
Reactions From Officials And Pillay Herself
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called Pillay a “pioneering defence attorney for anti-apartheid activists” who had worked to “uphold human dignity and bring hope in South Africa and to peoples globally,” according to the BBC.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk said Pillay’s recognition was “a reaffirmation that human rights, the rule of law and justice, and accountability are fundamental to everything, to peace, to security, and prosperity,” the BBC reported.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry criticized the selection, saying it represented a “grotesque weaponisation of an award to legitimise anti-Israel hatred and prejudice” and pointing to Pillay’s role in what it called “politically motivated demonisation of Israel,” according to the BBC.
Pillay reacted to the news with humor, the BBC reported. “It must be a joke,” she said, before joking, “If you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump.”
What’s Next
Pillay continues her work as a judge on the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice, including the pending genocide case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar, according to the BBC. The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony traditionally follows later in the year, though the sources did not provide a specific date for this year’s event.
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