Amid attacks on international law and contempt for it, and an escalation of armed conflict, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African judge Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay for her contribution to the promotion of peace and to international justice.
A South African of Tamil descent, Navi Pillay has served as a judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and of the International Criminal Court. She was UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, and chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel from 2021 to 2025. She also worked for decades as an anti-apartheid lawyer and, at the Rwanda tribunal, helped secure the recognition of sexual violence as an act of genocide.
With this award, the Norwegian Nobel Committee seeks to remind the world that international law is an ‘absolute necessity’ for guaranteeing peace and security.
ICIP strongly welcomes the Norwegian Nobel Committee’s message in favour of strengthening the institutions of international law in the current context. ‘In the face of growing and worrying challenges to international law from major world powers, we celebrate the fact that the Nobel Peace Prize recognises international justice mechanisms as fundamental pillars of peace,’ said ICIP Director Kristian Herbolzheimer.
ICIP Director points out that these attacks on international law come at a time when ‘we have the largest number of armed conflicts and refugees in history, as well as the highest military spending’. He adds that ‘in these circumstances, strengthening the role of international law and international courts is essential to halt the escalation towards war’.
Herbolzheimer also highlighted Navi Pillay’s personal and professional journey. A victim of apartheid in South Africa, she has held senior posts in Africa and on the international stage. She has become a leading advocate of equality and women’s rights, and she was a pioneer, for example, in the recognition of sexual violence as an act of genocide.
