Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, South African Navi Pillay, has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her contributions to "promoting peace and international law."
The Nobel Committee stated that Navi Pillay (85) held state leaders accountable, brought hope to victims of violence and conflict, and demonstrated a steady moral compass throughout her long career.
The committee added that "there is a common thread that extends from the beginnings of her career in defending Nelson Mandela and others who fought against the apartheid regime, to her work as a judge in some of the most important international court cases of our time."
The Peace Prize is the fifth Nobel Prize awarded this week, following the prizes for Literature, Chemistry, Physics, and Medicine.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Peace Prize in 2025.
