ByREUTERSOCTOBER 9, 2026 12:18Updated: OCTOBER 9, 2026 13:39

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.

In September last year, Pillay oversaw the publishing of a report by the UN Commission of Inquiry that concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incited these acts — accusations that Israel called scandalous.

Navanethem also served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 until 2014.

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 Norwegian Nobel Committee added.

"A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time," the committee said.

Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Jorgen Watne Frydnes announces Navanethem ''Navi'' Pillay as the Nobel Peace Prize 2026 winner at the Norwegian Nobel Institute, in Oslo, Norway October 9, 2026. (credit: NTB/JAVAD PARSA/VIA REUTERS)

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.

The Nobel Peace Prize, worth 12 million Swedish crowns, or about $1.2 million, is due to be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.

UN human rights office welcomes Nobel Prize winner Pillay as staunch defender of human rights

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 the UN 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.

"We hope it will encourage and continue to encourage and inspire others to speak out in protection and promotion of the human rights of all people around the world," Mantoo said in reaction to Pillay's win.

The UN human rights chief also said on Friday that Navi Pillay's Nobel Prize win was a collective win for human rights and for all those seeking justice and accountability, including through the International Criminal Court.

“The fact that the Nobel Award Commission decided to give this to Navi Pillay is a collective win for human rights, but also for seeking justice and accountability in this world," said Volker Turk of his predecessor Pillay who was High Commissioner from 2008-2014.

"And it's clear that we need international criminal accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, and it's clear that we have a very strong signal that this is absolutely critical in today's world," he told reporters.

International Criminal Court emphasized importance of international justice

The International Criminal Court said the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to its former judge was important recognition for the role of international justice as a cornerstone of peace.

"This is an important recognition of the vital role that international justice plays as a cornerstone of lasting peace," ICC President Tomoko Akane said. "At a time of profound challenges to the international legal order and the rule of law, this recognition carries particular significance."

Follow us on Google

---