South African judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay today was notified that she is the recipient of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, “for her efforts to promote peace and international law,” as the Nobel Prize Committee stated. Pillay’s long, courageous, distinguished record includes working with Nelson Mandela, up through her recent efforts associated with the United Nations that found Israel guilty of committing genocide. In 2025 Pillay chaired the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory that concluded Israel has committed genocide in Gaza. Her commission’s report included the specific finding that the Israeli president, prime minister, and former defense minister “have incited the commission of genocide.”

The Nobel Committee stated today that Pillay held states and national leaders accountable and brought hope to victims of violence and conflict. It singled out her firm moral compass in her long career, adding: “A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time.”

Pillay happened to receive the news while attending the Nuremberg Forum on international law, located where the trials of Nazi war criminals helped lay the foundations of international law, especially on genocide and war crimes. Her response was captured live in a 3-minute video.