Former UN human rights chief, wins Nobel Peace Prize

OSLO, Norway 

Former UN human rights chief and International Court of Justice judge Navi Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize.

The South African judge was recognised "for her efforts to promote peace and international law", which paved the way for a "more comprehensive global legal order", the Nobel committee said.

Pillay, 85, has taken part in high-profile work considering allegations of human rights violations during a decades-long career, including in Rwanda, Myanmar and Gaza.

Her early work included defending anti-apartheid activists in South Africa, and on Friday she became the country's fifth Peace Prize winner - following in the footsteps of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Pillay's work had been "instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide are prosecuted", said the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Jørgen Watne Frydnes.

"Navi Pillay's commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career," he said.

"At a time of existential challenges - including more wars and conflicts than the world has seen in a long time - international law is no longer just a supplement to peace and security. It is an absolute necessity."

Frydnes said the committee had not been able to notify Pillay that she had won in advance, "so my message to her would be 'if you see a Norwegian number calling, please pick up'".

Shortly afterwards, Pillay reacted to the news from Nuremberg's Palace of Justice by saying "it must be a joke" and thanked those who had gathered to applaud her.

"If you clap a little bit more I may share this prize with Trump," she joked. Last year's winner, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, gave her medal to the US president in January as "recognition for his unique commitment with our freedom".