Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay Wins the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

09 Oct 2026, 09:19 by Olivia-Anne Cleary · TIME

Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, a South African jurist and former U.N. high commissioner for human rights, won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for her efforts to promote peace and international law.”

“Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career. Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation, and exclusion,” said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

“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.”

Pillay, 85, is a judge on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide. She was also chair of the ⁠U.N. Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory that concluded last year that Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. (Israel at the time dismissed the report as "scandalous" and “fake.") Israel's Foreign Ministry criticized Pillay's win, referring to it as a "grotesque weaponization" of the award.

In "historic international court cases, she has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence," Frydnes said, referring to Pillay as "one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time."

Reflecting on her win, Pillay said she is often asked when she will stop working. "I can’t obviously stop my work in support of the Nuremberg Principles, because of the people we meet here," she said.

Pillay's career spans more than 50 years

Born in South Africa in 1941, Pillay was the first non-white woman to establish a legal practice in the country, according to the U.N.

In those early years of practicing law, she acted as a defense attorney for anti-apartheid activists.

Pillay has served as a judge on the High Court in South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and the International Criminal Court (ICC) throughout the course of her career.

She was the U.N. human rights chief from September 2008 to August 2014. Volker Türk, who currently holds that position, said Pillay's Nobel recognition is "particularly poignant" as it comes "at a time when human rights are under attack on so many fronts, including from those who wield enormous power."

“It is an award to all those who around the world dedicate their lives to the defense of human rights, often at great risk to their security," he added.

Pillay is the fifth South African national to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She follows in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela, FW de Klerk, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and Albert Luthuli.

Pillay dedicates award to "survivors of international crimes"

Pillay dedicated her Nobel Peace Prize to “all of the survivors of international crimes” and people defending international criminal justice, “whose compassion and courage continue to ensure that impunity will not be allowed to reign.”

During a press conference at the International Nuremberg Principle Academy, in the German city where the trials of Nazi leaders showcased the enforcement of international law, Pillay referred to the award as a "wonderful surprise" and the "highest honor."

Using her platform to spotlight the international justice system, Pillay told reporters: “We are living through an era when international law and human rights are under significant political attack... This worsening reality is particularly visible with the attacks on the International Criminal Court."

She added that the Nobel recognition has strengthened her "conviction that we must stand together in ‌defense of the rule of law, in defense of independent courts, and an international legal order ⁠based on principle."

Trump Admin announces sanctions against the ICC hours after win

When asked during a press briefing if the award sends a message to those who question or sanction international courts, Frydnes told reporters: “This is definitely a message to those who are attacking, undermin[ing] the international system, the international rules-based system, and the institutions."

U.S. President Donald Trump last month called for countries to "immediately" resign from the International Criminal Court (ICC), amid a broader push by the Trump Administration to dismantle the institution it accuses of unfairly targeting the U.S. and Israel. His call was firmly rejected by European leaders.

The Trump Administration has criticized the ICC over arrest warrants issued for Israeli leaders, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and former investigations into the actions of American soldiers in Afghanistan.

Hours after Pillay's win, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the Trump Administration is placing sweeping new sanctions on the ICC. It has previously imposed sanctions on the court's prosecutors and judges, but these new measures go a step further.

“We will ban transactions with this rogue court, cutting off their resources and crippling its ability to operate against us,” Rubio said. “The United States and the American people are not subject to the jurisdiction of this fake ICC.”

As a result of the sanctions, and "subject to applicable licenses and exceptions, all property and interests in property of the ICC that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons are blocked and must be reported to the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control," read a notice from the State Department.

Rubio claimed both Republicans and Democrats have concerns about the court overstepping its jurisdiction, but said only Trump is willing to take action. “Either the ICC will end its threats, or we will end the ICC," he warned.

In response, the ICC's deputy prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan condemned the sanctions and vowed the court's "work will continue ⁠across all our situations, our ⁠investigations, and our prosecution."

The Foreign Ministers of Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, and the U.K. have also denounced the sanctions.

In a joint statement that expressed "unwavering support for the independence, impartiality, and integrity of the ICC," the officials said the sanctions "will have a significant impact on the [ICC's] work, its dedicated staff, and their families."

Pillay pokes fun at Trump as she reacts to award

Pillay referenced Trump and his well-documented campaign to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize when she reacted to her own recognition on Friday morning.

In a video shared by Agnes Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International, Pillay could be seen entering a room at Nuremberg Court to resounding applause from her peers. "If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump," she joked.

The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, famously gave her medal to Trump in January as she pressed the U.S. to support democracy in Venezuela.

While the Norwegian Nobel Institute doesn’t release a shortlist of its contenders each year, the leaders of Israel, Cambodia, and Pakistan have all previously said they nominated Trump. The institute registered a total of 287 candidates for this year’s prize, including 208 individuals and 79 organizations.

Trump said earlier this week it would be a “great discredit” to the Norwegian Nobel Committee if they did not announce him as this year's recipient.