Peace 2026 · Announced Oct 9
Navanethem "Navi" Pillay
A judge who went from defending apartheid's prisoners to shaping world law.
Born 1941 · South Africa · Judge, former UN human rights chief
28 yrs
The wait, from a landmark genocide ruling (1998) to the prize
85
Age when the prize was announced
Solo
Won this prize alone
Oct 9
Announced in 2026
Their part in the prize
Pillay was the first non-white woman to open a law practice in Natal province. She went on to the Rwanda tribunal, the International Criminal Court and the top human rights job at the UN.
Why it matters
Her court was the first to rule that rape can be an act of genocide. That ruling is now part of how world courts judge war crimes.
The road to the prize
- 1967Opens her own law practice in apartheid South Africa.
- 1995Joins the UN court for the Rwanda genocide.
- 1998The court rules that rape can be an act of genocide.
- 2003Becomes a judge at the International Criminal Court.
- 2008Starts six years as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
- 2026Nobel Peace Prize.
The official reason
"for her efforts to promote peace and international law"