Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay wins the Nobel Peace Prize for her work in international justice

Former U.N. human rights chief and International Court of Justice judge Navanethem “Navi” Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway, on Friday. The South Africa-born 85-year-old was recognized for promoting peace and international law. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said international rule of law is essential to resolving conflicts without force and holding war criminals accountable.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee received nominations for 287 candidates for this year’s prize, with slightly more than one-quarter being organizations.

The 2026 prize money is 12 million Swedish kronor, or about $1.2 million, for an individual, group of laureates or organization.

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize, which has gone to 112 individuals and 28 institutions since 1901.

The peace prize has been left unawarded 19 times, mostly during the world wars.

Published Oct 9, 2026 6:30 pm KST

New United Nations High Commissioner for human rights, South African judge Navanethem (Navi) Pillay is pictured at the Palais Wilson, headquarters of the UN specialised agency, as she takes up her post, Geneva, Spet. 1 2008. AFP-Yonhap

OSLO, Norway — Former U.N. human rights chief Navanethem “Navi” Pillay, a judge on the International Court of Justice, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in Oslo, Norway.

The South Africa-born Pillay, 85 years old, was recognized for her efforts to promote peace and international law, said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

Pillay’s work “is a source of hope and inspiration to all those who seek to bring about a more peaceful world,” Watne Frydnes said announcing her win.

Watne Frydnes said the committee had not yet been able to reach Pillay to inform her she had received the peace prize, which is often considered the most prestigious honor on the planet.

“At a time when the number of wars and conflicts is rising, and when judges and institutions of international law are under political attack, the Nobel Committee wishes to issue a reminder that the ability to resolve conflicts without force or violence is dependent on the international rule of law,” the committee wrote in a news release.

“An international legal system in which war criminals are held to account and the victims of abuse see justice served is a precondition for a peaceful world.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo received nominations for 287 candidates for this year’s prize, with just over a quarter of them organizations. Experts say the committee typically focuses on the durability of peace, the promotion of international fraternity and the quiet work of institutions that strengthen those goals.

Last year, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize for her struggle to achieve a democratic transition in the South American nation, winning recognition as a woman “who keeps the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness.”

Machado gave Trump her Nobel medal shortly after the United States ousted then-President Nicolás Maduro. But it was largely a symbolic gesture: the Nobel Committee has said the honor itself cannot be transferred.

Nominations can be made by a select group of people and organizations, including heads of state or politicians serving at a national level, university professors, directors of foreign policy institutes, past Nobel Prize recipients and members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee itself.

Four of this year's Nobels were announced earlier this week. The Nobel for medicine went to three scientists whose work led to a tool that uses light to help unravel how the brain works. The physics award recognized a scientist’s efforts to demystify a rare group of neutrinos. The chemistry prize recognized two scientists for untangling mysterious mirror images in molecules, a discovery that has been used to develop countless drugs.

Canadian poet, essayist and translator Anne Carson won the literature prize Thursday for “bold and inventive” works that fuse the classical and the modern and blur the boundaries of poetry and prose.

The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences will be announced Monday.

The prize money this year is 12 million Swedish kronor (about $1.2 million), whether for an individual, small group of laureates or organization.

Peace prize marks its 125th anniversary

This year marks the 125th anniversary of the peace prize, which so far has gone to 112 individuals and 28 separate institutions since its inception in 1901. The Red Cross has won three times and the U.N. refugee agency twice.

The prize has gone unawarded on 19 occasions, most of them during the world wars. In 1948, the year Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated, no prize was awarded; he had been nominated 12 times and never won.

In 1939, a Swedish member of parliament nominated Adolf Hitler, then withdrew the nomination, saying it was never meant seriously.

前联合国人权事务高级专员、国际法院法官纳瓦内特姆·“纳维”·皮莱于周五在挪威奥斯陆荣获诺贝尔和平奖。这位出生于南非的85岁老人因其在促进和平与国际法方面所做出的贡献而获此殊荣。挪威诺贝尔委员会表示，国际法治对于以非武力方式解决冲突和追究战争罪犯的责任至关重要。

挪威诺贝尔委员会收到了今年诺贝尔奖的 287 份候选人提名，其中略多于四分之一是组织机构。

2026 年的奖金为 1200 万瑞典克朗，约合 120 万美元，可授予个人、获奖者团体或组织。

今年是诺贝尔和平奖设立125周年，自1901年以来，已有112位个人和28个机构获得该奖项。

诺贝尔和平奖曾19次空缺，其中大部分发生在两次世界大战期间。

发布于2026年10月9日韩国时间下午6:30

2008年9月1日，南非法官纳瓦内特姆·皮莱（Navanethem (Navi) Pillay）在联合国人权事务高级专员公署总部威尔逊宫正式就职，图为她就职当天在日内瓦的就职仪式。（法新社-韩联社）

挪威奥斯陆——前联合国人权事务高级专员、国际法院法官纳瓦内特姆·“纳维”·皮莱于周五在挪威奥斯陆荣获诺贝尔和平奖。

挪威诺贝尔委员会主席约尔根·瓦特内·弗里德内斯表示，出生于南非的皮莱现年 85 岁，她因致力于促进和平与国际法而获得表彰。

沃特尼·弗里德内斯在宣布皮莱获奖时表示，皮莱的作品“为所有致力于创造一个更和平世界的人们带来了希望和灵感”。

沃特内·弗里德内斯表示，委员会尚未联系到皮莱，告知她已获得和平奖，该奖项通常被认为是地球上最负盛名的荣誉。

“在战争和冲突数量不断增加，国际法法官和机构受到政治攻击之际，诺贝尔委员会希望提醒大家，不诉诸武力或暴力解决冲突的能力取决于国际法治，”该委员会在一份新闻稿中写道。

“一个能够追究战争罪犯责任、让虐待受害者得到公正对待的国际法律体系，是世界和平的前提条件。”

位于奥斯陆的挪威诺贝尔委员会收到了287份今年诺贝尔奖的提名，其中略超过四分之一是组织机构。专家表示，该委员会通常关注和平的持久性、国际友爱的促进以及那些为实现这些目标而默默奉献的机构。

去年，委内瑞拉反对派领导人玛丽亚·科琳娜·马查多因其为实现这个南美国家的民主转型而荣获诺贝尔和平奖，被誉为“在日益黑暗的环境中让民主之火继续燃烧”的女性。

马查多在美国推翻时任总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗后不久，便将她的诺贝尔奖章赠予了特朗普。但这在很大程度上只是一种象征性的姿态：诺贝尔委员会曾表示，这项荣誉本身是不能转让的。

提名可由特定人群和组织提出，包括国家元首或国家级政治家、大学教授、外交政策研究所所长、往届诺贝尔奖获得者以及挪威诺贝尔委员会成员。

今年的四项诺贝尔奖于本周早些时候公布。诺贝尔医学奖授予三位科学家，他们的研究成果催生了一种利用光来揭示大脑运作机制的工具。物理学奖表彰了一位科学家为揭开一类罕见中微子的神秘面纱所做的努力。化学奖则授予两位科学家，他们破解了分子中神秘的镜像现象，这一发现已被用于开发无数药物。

加拿大诗人、散文家和翻译家安妮·卡森周四凭借其“大胆创新”的作品荣获文学奖，这些作品融合了古典与现代，模糊了诗歌和散文的界限。

诺贝尔经济学奖将于周一公布。

今年的奖金为 1200 万瑞典克朗（约合 120 万美元），无论是颁发给个人、小型获奖团体还是组织。

和平奖迎来125周年纪念

今年是诺贝尔和平奖设立125周年，自1901年设立以来，该奖项已颁发给112位个人和28个不同的机构。红十字会曾三次获奖，联合国难民署曾两次获奖。

该奖项曾19次空缺，其中大部分发生在两次世界大战期间。1948年，即圣雄甘地遇刺的那一年，该奖项也未颁发；他曾12次获得提名，但从未获奖。

1939 年，一位瑞典议员提名阿道夫·希特勒为总统候选人，随后又撤回了提名，称自己从未认真考虑过此事。