# Nobel Peace Prize 2026 Goes to Navi Pillay, Former UN Human Rights Chief

*2026-10-10 18:01 UTC · Other · 1 min read*

> The Norwegian Nobel Committee honored the South African jurist and former UN human rights chief for promoting peace and international law.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navi Pillay, the South African jurist and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, citing her work to promote peace and international law. She is the fifth South African to win the prize.

Pillay, born in Durban in 1940, was the first woman in Natal province to open her own law firm and defended anti-apartheid activists. She became the first woman of colour on South Africa's High Court, presided over the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and served as UN human rights chief from 2008 to 2014. She also chaired a UN commission that found Israel responsible for genocide in Gaza.

The committee could not reach her before the announcement. UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated her, while Donald Trump criticized the choice. The prize will be presented in Oslo on 10 December.

## Sources

- [aljazeera.com](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/10/9/who-is-navi-pillay-winner-of-the-2026-nobel-peace-prize)
- [cnn.com](https://www.cnn.com/2026/10/09/world/live-news/nobel-peace-prize-2026-winner-intl)
- [euronews.com](https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/10/no-one-ever-heard-of-her-trump-goes-off-on-petty-rant-after-nobel-peace-prize-snub)

---
TechTools News · https://techtools.cz/tools/news/article/2493-nobel-peace-prize-2026-goes-to-navi-pillay-former-un-human-rights-chief
Česká verze: https://techtools.cz/tools/news/clanek/2567-nobelovu-cenu-miru-2026-ziskala-navi-pillay-byvala-sefka-osn-pro-lidska-prava