Source: UN News. Text reproduced with attribution.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, the former United Nations human rights chief, honoring her “for her efforts to promote peace and international law.”

The committee stated that the award recognizes “a person who with exceptional courage and integrity has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order,” highlighting her instrumental role in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted.

Ms. Pillay's career spans more than 50 years, ranging from her early days fighting apartheid in South Africa to defending civilians in conflict zones. She served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from September 2008 through August 2014.

She has also served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and the chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

"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," the Nobel Committee noted.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated Ms. Pillay, stating she has demonstrated "that the force of law must prevail over the law of force and that defending human rights is the surest safeguard against injustice."

He described her as “a champion of international law and human rights, and a steadfast, independent voice of justice,” adding that the Nobel Committee's citation serves as a reminder that peace must be built on lasting principles rather than the will of the powerful.

The current UN human rights chief, Volker Türk, also offered warm congratulations, describing Ms. Pillay as a “big sister.”

"To say it is well deserved is a total understatement, and especially at a time when human rights are under attack on so many fronts, including from those who wield enormous power, this award is particularly poignant,“ Türk said in Geneva. He added that the honor is a reaffirmation that ”human rights, the rule of law and justice and accountability are fundamental to everything—to peace, to security and prosperity."

Born in South Africa in 1941 to a Tamil Indian family, Ms. Pillay was the first non-white woman to establish a legal practice in the country. As a defense attorney, she represented anti-apartheid activists, exposed torture, and helped secure key rights for prisoners on Robben Island.

Later, as chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry, she oversaw its 2025 report which concluded that Israel's actions in the Gaza Strip constituted genocide.

Reflecting on her life's work in an October 2025 interview with UN News, Ms. Pillay recalled her disbelief that apartheid would end in her lifetime, attributing its demise to international solidarity.

"We had the collective support of people all over the world, even children. If we can achieve that, we can have a better human rights protection system," she said.

During her eight years at the ICTR prosecuting those responsible for the 1994 Rwandan genocide, she helped establish landmark legal precedents against genocide and gender-based violence.

Ms. Pillay has consistently emphasized the role of civil society in shaping global human rights standards. “Everything we have today for human rights protection didn’t happen just because the States woke up one day,” she told UN News. “It comes from the pressure of civil society. That’s why I value these institutions.”