Nobel Committee Awards Peace Prize to Navi Pillay for International Law Work

Navanethem "Navi" Pillay has received the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts supporting peace and international law, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced in Oslo, recognizing the 85-year-old South African for work on legal accountability and conflict resolution.

The committee said Pillay was selected as the number of wars and conflicts rises and as international legal institutions face political attacks. The prize is considered one of the world's most prestigious honors.

"At a time when the number of wars and conflicts is increasing, and when judges and institutions of international law are facing political attacks, the Nobel Committee wants to remind us that the ability to resolve conflicts without resorting to force or violence depends on the rule of international law," said the Norwegian Nobel Committee in a press release.

The committee received 287 nominations for this year's peace prize, including slightly more than one-quarter from organizations, according to the Nobel process information cited in the report.

"An international legal system in which war criminals are brought to justice and victims of abuses receive reparations is among the prerequisites for a peaceful world," said the Norwegian Nobel Committee in a press release.

Pillay's award follows a Nobel Peace Prize history that includes recognition of individuals and institutions working on global issues. The prize has been awarded to 112 people and 28 institutions since its creation in 1901, according to the report.

The Nobel Committee previously awarded the 2025 peace prize to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado for her democratic transition efforts. The committee described her as a woman "who keeps the flame of democracy alive amid growing darkness," according to the report.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to 20 women among the 112 individual recipients, with eight women receiving the honor in the last 15 years. Malala Yousafzai became the youngest recipient in 2014 at age 17.

The committee also highlighted other 2026 Nobel announcements, including prizes in medicine, physics, chemistry and literature. Canadian poet, essayist and translator Anne Carson received the literature prize for works described as "bold and inventive," according to the report.

The peace prize amount this year is about $1.2 million US, whether awarded to an individual, a small group of recipients or an organization. The Nobel Prize in economics is scheduled to be announced Monday.