Navanethem "Navi" Pillay

2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate; judge on the International Court of Justice

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Born: September 23, 1941, Durban

Education: University of Natal, Harvard Law School, Clairwood Secondary School

Previous offices: Judge of the International Criminal Court, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Last updated Nov 2, 2026

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Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Navi Pillay for international law work

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Serves as an ad hoc ICJ judge in the Myanmar case; called for Netanyahu's prosecution and said she is confident he will face trial; urged European governments to activate the EU's Blocking Statute.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Peace Prize to Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, an 85-year-old South African jurist who defended Nelson Mandela under apartheid and later judged war crimes at international tribunals. The committee called her "one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time."

Updated Oct 19