Daijiworld Media Network – New York
New York, Oct 9: The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, an 85-year-old South African jurist of Indian origin and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the 125th Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in Oslo, recognising her extraordinary lifetime contribution to promoting peace, strengthening international law, preventing war crimes, and protecting human rights globally.
The announcement has brought immense joy to human rights activists worldwide, including in India and South Africa.
"At a time of existential challenges – including more wars and conflicts than the world has seen in a long time – international law is no longer just a supplement to peace and security. It is an absolute necessity," the committee stated. Committee Chairman Jorgen Watne Frydnes emphasised that the system of international law is "under tremendous pressure," and judges "guard the thin red line between order and chaos".
Reacting to her historic win from a courtroom in Nuremberg, Germany, Pillay dedicated the award to "all of the survivors of international crimes".
Born in Durban, South Africa, in 1941, Pillay’s ancestors had migrated from Tamil Nadu. In 1967, she became the first woman to start a law practice in the then province of Natal. During the height of apartheid, she advocated for the rights of black and minority populations, serving as a defence lawyer for political prisoners like Nelson Mandela and other anti-apartheid activists. She was also the first woman of colour to serve on South Africa's High Court.
Pillay’s illustrious career includes serving on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she delivered a landmark judgement declaring mass rape and sexual violence during war as "genocide" and crimes against humanity. She also served on the International Criminal Court and was the UN's rights chief from 2008 to 2014.
Recently, she chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Last year, the inquiry concluded that Israel was responsible for genocide in Gaza, with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in the region. The report also accused Israel's leadership of inciting genocide.
"The last thing I did is the delivery of the report on Gaza, naming what’s happening there as genocide," Pillay stated on Friday. "One of the main reactions to that report is paying tribute to me for my courage. And you can imagine how surprised I was. Why would you need courage to speak the truth?".
Her work drew sharp criticism from Israel, with its Ministry of Foreign Affairs calling the award a "grotesque weaponisation... to legitimise anti-Israel hatred".
Pillay currently serves on the International Court of Justice in a case accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya.
Congratulatory messages poured in, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calling the prize a tribute to those defending international law and human rights. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa lauded it as a tribute to her "courage, integrity and lifelong commitment to justice".
The prize, worth 12 million Swedish crowns ($1.2m), will be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. The committee received 287 nominations this year.
Addressing the current geopolitical climate, Pillay denounced attacks on international legal institutions, noting, "We are living through an era when international law and human rights are under significant political attack".
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump, who has long coveted the prize, criticised the decision. In a post on Truth Social, he claimed the committee had "demeaned" the award, coinciding with the White House imposing more sanctions on the International Criminal Court. In a lighthearted moment earlier, Pillay had joked, "If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump".