The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a South African jurist and former United Nations human rights chief, for her efforts to promote peace and international law.
The committee said Pillay had played a key role in advancing
accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, helping
strengthen the international legal system and its institutions.
“Peace requires justice,” the committee said in its
announcement, emphasizing that international law is essential to resolving
conflicts and maintaining global security.
Pillay, who comes from a family of Indian Tamil origin, was
born in Durban, South Africa, during the apartheid era. She became a lawyer and
legal pioneer, challenging racial discrimination and exclusion before taking on
prominent roles in international justice.
Her career includes serving as a judge on South Africa’s
High Court, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the
International Criminal Court. She also served as the U.N. high commissioner for
human rights and chaired the U.N. Independent International Commission of
Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory until recently.
Pillay currently serves as a judge at the International
Court of Justice in a case in which Myanmar faces allegations of genocide.
The Nobel committee highlighted her contributions to
landmark legal proceedings, including efforts to establish that rape and sexual
violence can constitute crimes against humanity and genocide. It also cited her
role in a case that helped establish the criminal responsibility of individuals
who incite genocide through propaganda.
The committee said Pillay’s work had helped expand the reach
of international law and strengthen the principle that individuals and
governments must be held accountable for their actions.
International law under pressure
In announcing the award, the committee warned that the
international legal order faces growing pressure as geopolitical power
increasingly takes precedence over legal frameworks and international
accountability.
It said the world was experiencing more wars and conflicts
than it had in a long time, making international law essential to peace and
security.
The committee also criticized efforts to undermine
international judicial institutions and sanctions imposed on judges, saying the
independence of the judiciary was vital to maintaining global stability and
justice.
“The judges — those who guard the thin red line between
order and chaos — are therefore highly deserving of our praise,” the committee
said.
The Nobel committee noted that international law has played
an increasingly important role in resolving disputes since the creation of the
United Nations after World War II, although powerful countries have often
avoided accountability.
It said diplomacy, treaties and legal mechanisms had helped
address conflicts that might otherwise have escalated into violence.
A career devoted to accountability
Pillay’s work has focused on ensuring that international
legal principles apply regardless of a person’s position or nationality.
Throughout her career, she has emphasized the responsibility of states and
individuals to uphold the rule of law.
The committee said her independence, legal expertise and
determination had made her one of the most respected international jurists of
her time.
The 2026 award, it added, reflects the legacy of Alfred
Nobel’s will and the importance of strengthening cooperation among nations
through legal institutions and peaceful dispute resolution.
The committee said Pillay’s career demonstrates why
international law must be supported and expanded to protect human dignity, hold
perpetrators accountable and build a more peaceful world.
