Former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize
South African jurist and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law, Qazinform News Agency reports.
According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Pillay was recognized for her contribution to strengthening international legal institutions and ensuring accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin in Durban, South Africa, during apartheid, Pillay began her legal career challenging racial discrimination and defending anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela.
Throughout her career, she has served as a judge on South Africa’s High Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court. She also headed the UN human rights office and chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Pillay currently serves as a judge ad hoc at the International Court of Justice in a case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar over allegations of genocide.
The Nobel Committee highlighted Pillay’s role in landmark international cases, particularly at the Rwanda tribunal.
“When the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda established that rape and sexual violence could constitute a crime against humanity – as well as genocide – her influence was a significant factor,” the committee stated.
She also contributed to another legal breakthrough, with a defendant facing charges of incitement to genocide based solely on the dissemination of propaganda for the first time.
“Peace requires justice,” the committee stated, stressing the importance of the rule of law in resolving disputes without violence.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Canadian poet, essayist and translator Anne Carson had been awarded the 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature.