Navanethem “Navi” Pillay won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Navanethem “Navi” Pillay won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for “her efforts to promote peace and international law.”

Navi Pillay has “significantly expanded the scope and impact of international law,” says Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Announcing this year’s winner, he adds that Pillay paved the way toward “a more comprehensive global legal order,” noting that she did so with exceptional courage.

“Navi Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her steadfast moral compass have been constants throughout a long career. A common thread connects her early work—when she defended Nelson Mandela and other fighters against apartheid—to her work as a judge in some of the most important international trials of our time. Navi Pillay held states and national leaders accountable, while also offering hope to victims of violence and conflict. In all the positions she has held, she has emphasized the responsibility of individuals and states to respect the rule of law,” the Oslo Committee’s statement says.

Navi Pillay is a South African jurist, a former judge at the International Criminal Court and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2008–2014).

The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize was announced in Oslo at a ceremony scheduled for 11:00 CEST. A total of 287 nominations were submitted for the prestigious award: 208 individuals and 79 organizations.

Last year’s laureate, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, presented the medal to U.S. President Donald Trump in January.

Trump said on Wednesday that it would be “a great discredit” to the Norwegian Nobel Committee if he did not receive the prize, accusing the institution of not awarding it to people like him.