Nobel Peace Prize 2026 goes to Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law
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South African judge Navanethem "Navi" Pillay has won this year's Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law. Follow DW live.
https://p.dw.com/p/5Nz52 South Africa's Navi Pillay, a judge on the International Court of Justice, was recognized for holding war criminals to account Image: Valentin Flauraud/KEYSTONE/picture alliance Advertisement Skip next section What you need to know What you need to know Navanethem "Navi" Pillay has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize The Peace Prize committee praised the South African's commitment to international justice The prize has been awarded 106 times to 143 laureates between 1901 and 2025 It carries a cash award of 12 million Swedish kronor (around $1.2 million; €1 million) This week, Nobel laureates have already been named in medicine, physics, chemistry, and literature. Below is all the news and views, previews and reviews surrounding the award of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.
10/09/2026 October 9, 2026 Pillay jokes about sharing award with Trump South African jurist Navi Pillay has joked that she might share her Nobel Peace Prize with US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly made clear his desire to win the prestigious award.
"If you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump," Pillay said as she received applause in Nuremberg, Germany, after being announced as this year's winner.
Trump has claimed to have ended eight wars and argued that his diplomatic achievements merit a Nobel Peace Prize. Some of the conflicts he cites were not full-scale wars, while the extent of his role in resolving others has been disputed.
The US president has also suggested that denying him the award would be an insult to the United States , although he has acknowledged that the Norwegian Nobel Committee might not select him.
10/09/2026 October 9, 2026 UN welcomes Nobel Peace Prize for Navi Pillay The United Nations has welcomed the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay, saying it highlights the growing importance of human rights.
"It's wonderful to see this being awarded to Navi Pillay, the former High Commissioner for Human Rights," said Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN human rights agency.
"It is testament to the need and to the value of human rights in this world more than ever," she added.
10/09/2026 October 9, 2026 Amnesty hails Pillay Nobel Peace Prize as 'inspired choice' Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard has welcomed the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay, calling it "such a great and inspired choice."
Callamard praised Pillay's longstanding commitment to international law and justice, saying the award came at a particularly critical moment.
"At a time when both international law and justice are under attack, when too many states attempt to hollow them out, her Nobel Peace Prize could not come at a better time," she wrote on X. "Congratulations dear Navi," she added. Callamard was with Pillay at the Nuremberg courthouse in Germany when the award was announced.
"We are at the Nuremberg Court; I cannot think of a stronger symbol for her Nobel prize," Callamard wrote on X. "We are all so thrilled!"
Nuremberg was the site of the historic trials of leading Nazis after World War II , which helped lay the foundations of modern international criminal law.
10/09/2026 October 9, 2026 Nobel committee warns against rule of the strong Frydnes stressed that lasting peace must rest on legal principles rather than the will of powerful states Image: Javad Parsa/NTB Scanpix/AP Photo/picture alliance Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes has warned of a dangerous shift towards a world in which might takes precedence over right, as he announced the Nobel Peace Prize for South African jurist Navi Pillay.
"Whenever might overtakes right, it undermines stability, trust and peaceful coexistence," Frydnes said, after praising Pillay's decades of work to strengthen international law.
He warned that the international legal order was facing an increasingly serious challenge, with powerful countries often escaping accountability for their actions.
"We see a shift towards power politics at the expense of legal frameworks and global respect for law and justice," he said.
Frydnes acknowledged that the rules-based international order had never been perfect.
"The greatest powers have often evaded responsibility. In practice, cases brought under international law have produced different results depending on who is the perpetrator and who is the victim," he said.
"Nonetheless, we have seen that more and more conflicts are being addressed through diplomacy, treaties and legal mechanisms rather than threats, violence and warfare."
The central lesson, he said, was that lasting peace must rest on legal principles rather than "the will of the strong or a fragile balance of power."
10/09/2026 October 9, 2026 Nobel committee praises Pillay's role in international justice Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes praised Navi Pillay's contribution to international justice, saying:
"The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 goes to a person who, with exceptional courage and integrity, has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order."
"This year's laureate has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted," he said.
Frydnes also highlighted Pillay's lifelong commitment to justice.
"Pillay's commitment to universal legal principles and a firm moral compass have been constants in a long career."
He also noted her early experiences under apartheid.
"Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation and exclusion," the committee chair said.
Frydnes drew a connection between her early activism and her later international…
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