On 9 October 2026, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, judge of the ICTR and ICC, a lifelong activist and advocate for human rights and one of the most powerful women in international law today. She received the award “for her efforts to promote peace and international law”. With this gesture, the Nobel Committee has honored an exceptional legal career but also reminded us that peace depends on the existence of international rule of law and on the people building and defending it.
The Woman of the Hour and Her Journey
Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has spent her long and impressive career at the intersection of law, human rights and international justice. As a lawyer, judge, investigator and advocate, she has helped shape the institutions and legal principles on which the international rule of law depends.
Born in South Africa in 1941, she grew up under the apartheid regime. At the beginning of her career, she established her own practice as the first woman in the province. She was a defense lawyer of anti-apartheid activists and political prisoners, amongst others Nelson Mandela. Later in her career, she earned the Doctor of Juridical Science degree from Harvard University as the first South African, and in 1995 she became the first woman of color appointed as judge on the High Court of South Africa.
In 1995, she was appointed as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) which was created to prosecute the crimes of genocide and violations of international humanitarian law in Rwanda in 1994. It was at the ICTR that Pillay made one of her most consequential contributions to international criminal law. In Prosecutor v. Jean-Paul Akayesu in 1998, the Tribunal recognized that rape and other forms of sexual violence can constitute acts of genocide. This judgment, with Pillay’s contribution, established a precedent that still shapes how sexual and gender-based violence is investigated and prosecuted and how victims of these crimes are recognized today. Pillay subsequently acted as ICTR’s president.
From 2003 to 2008, Pillay was a judge at the International Criminal Court. In 2008 she was appointed as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Her mark in the United Nations system continued with her presiding as chair of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory from 2021 to 2025. She has also served as a judge ad hoc at the International Court of Justice, in the case Gambia v. Myanmar brought against Myanmar under the Genocide Convention.[1]
Relevance of the Nobel Peace Prize Today
The significance of the Nobel Peace Prize today can be debated but one thing is clear. Its name gives public recognition to the laureates and has the power to bring attention to specific topics. Awarding Navi Pillay specifically for her contribution to peace and international law signals to the world that defending international rule of law remains a necessary and formidable pursuit.
The reactions to Pillay’s award illustrate the power the Nobel Prize still holds. Positive or negative, the reactions to the award had great media coverage, which made the topic and Navi Pillay herself more popular and the center of public debate.
US President Donald Trump criticized the Nobel Committee’s decision for the failure to award him the prize. Israeli officials and other actors opposed the decision to award Pillay mainly because of her role as chair of the UN Commission of Inquiry on the Occuppied Palestinian Territory, which in 2025 concluded that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza.
Other actors, such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, UN Women and various NGOs focusing on human rights congratulated Pillay. The award does not require uncritical acceptance of every position Pillay has taken and every single decision she has made in her long career. Pillay’s Nobel Prize carries significance beyond the recognition of one person’s work.
International Rule of Law
The Nobel Peace Prize is often associated with diplomacy, reconciliation and the prevention of armed conflict. Pillay’s award highlights another fundamental dimension of peace: the existence of an international legal order in which power is constrained by law and serious violations are met with accountability. In recognising her efforts to promote peace and international law, the Nobel Committee acknowledged not only her outstanding legal career, but also the importance of international justice as a cornerstone of lasting peace.
This recognition is particularly significant at a time when multilateral institutions face increasing political pressure, armed conflicts persist and respect for international law is increasingly challenged. Throughout her career, Pillay has held prominent positions within some of the most important international institutions, including the ICTR, the ICC and the UN human rights system.
Her work has contributed to the development of international law, while her presence in these institutions has helped strengthen their visibility and authority. Her lifelong human rights advocacy also serves as a reminder that international law is shaped not only in courtrooms, but also by those who document violations, defend victims and demand accountability.
The challenges international justice faces today are particularly evident in the pressure exerted on the International Criminal Court. In February 2025, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorizing sanctions against the ICC in response to its actions concerning the situation in Palestine, including its arrest warrants against Israeli leaders. In October 2026, only hours after the announcement of the award to Pillay, the US Secretary of State announced further sanctions on the ICC as a whole institution. These measures illustrate the political and economic pressure that international judicial institutions may face when exercising their mandates, particularly when powerful states or their allies are concerned.
Recognising Pillay’s contribution means reaffirming the importance of judicial independence and the international rule of law. Pillay’s Nobel Prize is therefore more than recognition of an exceptional career, it is a reminder that peace cannot exist without accountability, and that international law requires people willing to defend it even when doing so comes at a political cost.
Women in International Law and Human Rights
Pillay’s career also carries a significance that extends beyond international justice. It is a story about women’s participation in shaping the law. International legal institutions (as many other fields) have historically been ruled by gender inequalities that affected who could enter the profession, occupy senior positions and influence legal doctrine. Women have faced institutional exclusion, unequal access to professional networks, discriminatory assumptions about authority and expertise, and additional scrutiny of their competence and legitimacy.
In this context, Pillay’s professional milestones are meaningful, because representation matters for reasons that extend beyond symbolism. The inclusion of women in international legal institutions broadens the range of professional experiences and perspectives brought to legal questions. It can help expose assumptions that have become embedded in legal practice, make previously marginalized experiences more visible and strengthen the capacity of institutions to recognize forms of harm that have historically received inadequate attention.[2]
Her Nobel Prize is therefore also a recognition of women’s role in international law. In the legal profession, this recognition has a further significance. It provides a visible example of a woman whose work has shaped national and international institutions, and whose authority rests on decades of legal practice, judicial service and human rights advocacy. At a time when barriers to women’s advancement remain, examples like Navi Pillay, her work and the acknowledgement of her efforts can challenge assumptions about who belongs in positions of legal leadership.
More than One Person
Navi Pillay’s Nobel Peace Prize is more than a celebration of an extraordinary career. It is a recognition that international law depends on people willing to defend its principles when doing so is neither easy nor politically convenient. At a time when accountability mechanisms are challenged, her legacy reminds us that justice is built through institutions and individuals who give them credibility and purpose. For the next generation of lawyers, her story stands as proof that one voice (especially woman’s) matters.
Notes
[1] The case concerns the alleged genocide of the Rohingya people in Myanmar.
[2] The jurisprudence on sexual violence offers a powerful example. For too long, sexual violence in armed conflict was marginalized, treated as incidental to military operations or insufficiently recognized within the categories of international crimes. The Akayesu judgment helped challenge this approach by recognizing that sexual violence could constitute an act of genocide where the necessary legal elements were established.
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Photograph
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Navanethem Pillay. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay visits International Criminal Court, author: ICC-CPI, 12. 10. 2026, source: ICC-CPI.