This year's Nobel Peace Prize, in a year marking exactly 125 years since the establishment of the institution, was awarded to the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and current judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Navanethem «Navi» Pillay.
The 85-year-old South African was honored for her tireless and decades-long work in advancing peace and international legality, as officially announced in Oslo by the Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes.
A formidable record of struggles and historic milestones
The journey of Navi Pillay is filled with firsts and decisive confrontations against injustice.
She was the first non-white female judge on the Supreme Court of South Africa, while later serving as a judge and president at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, as well as at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Concurrently, she led the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which in September 2025 authored a damning report accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
During the announcement of the award, the Nobel Committee emphasized that amid the rapid surge of global conflicts and ongoing political attacks against institutions of international law, defending the rule of law becomes utterly vital:
«An international legal system in which war criminals are held accountable and victims of abuses receive justice constitutes a prerequisite for a peaceful world».
Global acclaim and a message of hope
Despite the fact that the Norwegian Committee initially struggled to make direct contact with the 85-year-old judge to deliver the welcome news among a total of 287 nominations, the global community reacted with enthusiasm.
The UN Human Rights Office warmly welcomed the decision, with spokesperson Sabina Mandou stating tellingly from Geneva:
«It is wonderful news; we need more devotion and commitment to human rights».
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