Navi Pillay wins Nobel Peace Prize

10-Oct-2026

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South African jurist and former UN human rights chief Navi Pillay's Nobel Peace Prize win on October 9 was welcomed by human rights advocates and supporters of international justice, while Israel and its supporters reacted with disappointment. Pillay, 85, is currently serving as an ad hoc judge at the UN's International Court of Justice.

The award also brought renewed attention to her work over several decades, including investigations into crimes in Rwanda, Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories, and her role as a lawyer who helped defend Nelson Mandela. The announcement drew strong reactions from the UN, South African leaders, rights groups, academics and Israeli officials.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said, "Justice Pillay's crowning as winner of the Nobel Prize allows us to celebrate the progressive contributions she has made to strengthen peace, uphold human dignity and bring hope in South Africa and to peoples globally. She has served humanity with principle and the belief that the world can and should be a better place."