Former ICC judge Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today, 9 October 2026, after the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded her the prize for her work in promoting peace and international law.
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Instrumental to the promotion of peace
According to Al Jazeera, the statement made by the committee recognised the former United Nations high commissioner for human rights for her instrumental role in ensuring the prosecution of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide.
“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 wrote.
Jorgen Watne Frydnes, a chairman of the committee, shared that the system of international law was “under tremendous pressure,” continuing to acknowledge that it is judges who are responsible for guarding “the thin red line between order and chaos.”
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The voice of peace
The 85-year-old global rights activist has had an extensive career in activism for peace and liberation. She was the first woman to open her own law practice in KwaZulu-Natal in 1967 and was also, at some point, Nelson Mandela’s defence lawyer. Navi was also the first non-White woman to serve on South Africa’s High Court.
Later on, the jurist served on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to prosecute individuals behind the Rwandan genocide.
Al Jazeera reports that the Norwegian Nobel Committee highlighted her role during her time on the Rwanda tribunal in establishing that rape and sexual violence can constitute crimes against humanity.
Navi chaired the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry that accused the state of Israel of genocide against Palestine.
“We concluded that the State of Israel is responsible for the commission of four genocidal acts in Gaza with the specific intent to destroy Palestinians in Gaza, as such,” she declared in a presentation to the UN General Assembly.
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