Durham honorary graduate Navanethem (Navi) Pillay has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 for her efforts to promote peace and international law.
Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Navi became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation and exclusion.
She was the first non-white female judge of the High Court of South Africa and served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
In awarding the Peace Prize the Nobel Committee described Navi as a “champion for international legal order”.
The committee praised Navi’s “commitment to universal legal principles” and her “firm moral compass” in a long career.
Navi’s achievements were recognised by Durham University with the award of an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law in 2007.
She is a former chair of Durham Law School’s Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
She has spoken at Durham and provided the foreword for the book “Rethinking Rape Law International and Comparative Perspectives” co-written by current Durham Law School Professor Clare McGlynn.
Navi played the leading role as a judge in ensuring that rape was recognised as a possible underlying act of genocide.
Dr Navi Pillay's career has been one continuous crusade for justice, beginning in her native South Africa and culminating at the highest international levels of justice and human rights protections. Her courage and total lack of fear in the face of opposition from powerful people are qualities which serve as a shining example of what the rule of law is about.
The Nobel Prize Committee added: “Navi Pillay is one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time.
“Her distinguished career reminds us of the need to support, fortify and expand the global rule of law.
“Navi Pillay’s commitment to justice and human dignity is a source of hope and inspiration to all who seek to bring about a more peaceful world.”
Navi Pillay is a legal pioneer who ensured the world recognised rape as a form of genocide. She has worked tirelessly to encourage lawyers, academics and students around the world, including in her inspirational address at the Durham University conference on Rethinking Rape Law, to strive for legal recognition of women’s rights and the pursuit of justice.
Read The Nobel Peace Prize 2026 announcement and find out more about Navi Pillay.
More about our Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
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