(New York) – The Norwegian Nobel Committee on October 9, 2026, announced that Navi Pillay was the 2026 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Pillay has been a human rights lawyer in apartheid South Africa, served as president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, a judge on the International Criminal Court, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and chaired the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. She is currently a judge ad hoc of the International Court of Justice, designated by The Gambia in the case The Gambia v. Myanmar concerning alleged violations of the Genocide Convention.
The following quote can be attributed to Philippe Bolopion, executive director at Human Rights Watch:
“In her long career as an activist, human rights investigator, and international judge, Navi Pillay has promoted respect for human rights and sought justice for the world’s worst crimes. She has had a profound influence in South Africa, Rwanda, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and as leader of the UN’s human rights body. At a time when international justice is under threat from rights-rejecting leaders, she has been a stalwart proponent of the international rule of law and impartial human rights work.”
