Photo: Wayamo Foundation
Al-Haq warmly welcomes the award of the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize to Navanethem (Navi) Pillay, in recognition of her lifelong commitment to human rights, accountability and the advancement of international law. This honour recognises not only Pillay’s exceptional legal career, it recognises her “independence, expertise and steadfastness have made her one of the most respected international jurists of our time”. Navi Pillay has made an enduring impact on international law, championing the struggle of peoples confronting oppression, racial domination, apartheid and genocide, and in doing so, highlighting the indispensable role of international justice in securing the self-determination of all peoples.
Pillay’s commitment to justice was forged in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, where she challenged institutionalised racism and exclusion through the law. As a lawyer, she defended Nelson Mandela and other opponents of apartheid, standing alongside those who resisted a system founded on racial subjugation and the denial of fundamental rights. Her service as a judge in South Africa and subsequent appointment as: a judge and President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR); a judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC); an ad hoc judge with the International Court of Justice (ICJ); and Chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel (COI) reflects a consistent commitment to the principle that justice must be universal and no individual or State should stand above the law.
This commitment has been particularly evident in her time with the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel which, under her chairpersonship, concluded in September 2025 that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Its findings laid bare the gravity of the crimes committed against the Palestinian people and underscored the urgent obligations of States to prevent and punish genocide, ensure accountability, and bring an end to the conditions sustaining Israel’s unlawful occupation and systematic violations of the rights of the Palestinian people.
The report followed another landmark report in March 2025, “More than a human can bear”: Israel's systematic use of sexual, reproductive and other forms of gender-based violence since 7 October 2023. There the Commission examined inter alia Israel’s attack on Basma IVF Centre, concluding that the attack was “a measure intended to prevent births among Palestinians in Gaza, which is a genocidal act under the Rome Statute and Genocide Convention” and that “this was done with the intent to destroy the Palestinians in Gaza as a group” (para. 175). The Commission further concluded that “Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, have incited the commission of genocide and that Israeli authorities have failed to take action against them to punish this incitement” (para. 253).
Importantly under Navi Pillay’s guidance, the UN Commission of Inquiry, issued a Position Paper providing legal analysis and recommendations on the implementation of the ICJ, Advisory Opinion, Legal Consequences arising from the Policies and Practices of Israel in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem. The report was a crucial first step in addressing the root causes of the situation in Palestine, providing States and international organisations with tangible practical recommendations on actions needed to end Israel’s unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
Regrettably, however, the award comes at a moment of profound crisis for the international legal order in which political and economic power is increasingly deployed to shield perpetrators from scrutiny and undermine the institutions established to uphold the rule of law. On the same day that the Nobel Peace Prize winner was announced, the United States (US) imposed further sanctions against the ICC, escalating its attacks on her former workplace. The ICC, an independent judicial institution mandated to investigate and prosecute the gravest international crimes, has faced mounting attacks from the US in its effort to maintain Israeli impunity. Such measures threaten the Court’s ability to fulfil its mandate, sending a dangerous message that accountability may be obstructed when it challenges powerful States or their allies.
The recognition of Pillay is therefore both an important tribute to her contribution as a human rights defender to implementing international law and a timely affirmation of the principles for which she has fought throughout her life. International law cannot retain its legitimacy if its application is selective, its institutions are attacked, or its protections are denied to those most vulnerable to oppression, racial domination and atrocity crimes. The protection of human dignity cannot be contingent on political power, nor can the right to self-determination be made conditional. We call on States to uphold their international legal obligations, protect the independence of international judicial institutions, and take concrete measures to end impunity for international crimes, including apartheid and genocide in Palestine.
Above all, and as advocated for by Pillay throughout her career, this moment must translate into meaningful action for the Palestinian people and the realisation of their inalienable rights.
Al-Haq congratulates Navi Pillay on this well-deserved recognition.