South Africa's Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay wins 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Navanethem "Navi" Pillay was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday "for her efforts to promote peace and international law," said the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The committee commended Pillay for holding states and national leaders accountable and offering hope to victims of violence and conflict throughout her illustrious career.

They noted a consistent moral compass guiding her throughout her long career, from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others against apartheid to her service as a judge in key international court cases. Pillay chaired the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.

However, Israel labeled the report as "scandalous". This is the fifth Nobel award announced in a single week, following literature, chemistry, physics and medicine winners. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won the peace prize in 2025. The Nobel Peace Prize, valued at 12 million Swedish crowns, or approximately $1.2 million, will be presented in Oslo on December 10, marking the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who established the awards in his 1895 will.