The Norwegian Nobel Committee has awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navanethem Navi Pillay for advancing peace and international law. The announcement was made Friday in Oslo. It is the 125th Nobel Peace Prize awarded. The 85-year-old Pillay currently sits as a judge at the International Court of Justice in the case alleging genocide against the Rohingya by Myanmar. She receives the entire prize alone, which carries a monetary award of 12 million Swedish kronor, approximately 1.2 million U.S. dollars, and will be presented on 10 December in Oslo.
From defender of Mandela to World Court judge
Pillay was born in Durban in 1941 into a family of Tamil Indian descent and grew up under apartheid. In 1967, she established her own law practice in what was then Natal Province, becoming the first woman to do so, and defended anti-apartheid activists, including Nelson Mandela. As an attorney, she documented torture and advocated for the rights of political prisoners on Robben Island. In 1995, she became the first non-white woman appointed as a judge at South Africa's High Court. That same year she joined the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, where she served eight years, including four as president. From 2003 to 2008 she was a judge at the International Criminal Court. From 2008 to 2014 she served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. From 2021 to 2025 she chaired the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Since 2019 she has served as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice in the case of Gambia against Myanmar.
Recognition and sharp criticism on the same day
The committee justified the decision with reference to the state of international law. That system stands under enormous pressure, its institutions are being attacked, said committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes. UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated Pillay, saying she had shown that the rule of law must triumph over the law of the jungle. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called the award a profound tribute to her courage, integrity and lifelong commitment to justice.
Pillay received the news in a historic courtroom in Nuremberg where Nazi leaders were once tried. She announced she would dedicate the award to all survivors of international crimes. She pointed out that international law and human rights are currently under considerable political pressure, particularly visible in attacks on the International Criminal Court. Israel's government responded sharply. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Pillay of spreading blood libels against Israel and legitimizing a false case against the country at the International Criminal Court. Israel's foreign ministry called the award a disgraceful weaponization of the honor to legitimize anti-Israel hate and prejudice. U.S. President Donald Trump shared a post stating the committee had debased the prize by awarding it to Pillay. On the same day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced further sanctions against the International Criminal Court, which he called a threat to U.S. sovereignty.
The Nobel Peace Prize at 125 years
The first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded 125 years ago. Even then, the committee emphasized the importance of international law for conflict resolution. This year the committee received 287 nominations. Candidates included the International Space Station, emergency aid teams in Sudan and two leading international courts. The United States leads with 24 awards, followed by Britain with 13 and Switzerland with 11. Since President Barack Obama in 2009, no laureate listed as American has won the Nobel Peace Prize. The prize has not been awarded 19 times, mostly during the world wars, including 1948, the year of Mahatma Gandhi's assassination. He had been nominated 12 times previously. The youngest recent laureate remains education activist Malala Yousafzai, who received the award in 2014 at age 17.
Threats to institutional independence
Hours after the award announcement, Rubio announced new sanctions intended to prohibit transactions with the court and cut off its resources. The United States will continue its campaign to dismantle the criminal court stone by stone if allies do not control it, he said. The court has never charged a U.S. citizen but is investigating actions by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, where according to Human Rights Watch it could potentially have jurisdiction over American nationals under certain circumstances. Committee chair Frydnes said awarding the prize to someone with Pillay's record sends a message to those who undermine the international system and its institutions. The committee itself describes the situation this way: In a time with more wars and conflicts than the world has seen in a long time, international law is no longer merely a supplement to peace and security but has become an absolute necessity.