Geneva — United Nations Human Rights Chief Volker Türk spoke with pride on Friday for global human rights when he “warmly” congratulated South African Navi Pillay for winning the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for those who fight for the rights of others.
“This is a proud moment for the global human rights movement. I warmly congratulate Navi. To say it is well-deserved is an understatement,” Türk, the high commissioner for Human Rights, told journalists at the UN in Geneva.
“At a time when human rights are under attack on so many fronts, including from those who wield enormous power, this award is particularly poignant,” said the UN Human Rights chief.
He noted that the award goes to people around the world who dedicate their lives to defending human rights, “often at great risk to their security.”
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Pillay is a South African jurist who served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014.
She is a South African of Tamil origin and was the first black woman judge of the High Court of South Africa.
Pillay has also served as a judge of the International Criminal Court and president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
She was born and raised in Durban, South Africa’s third-largest city, where she later attended the University of Natal, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in 1963 and her Bachelor of Law in 1965.
“This award to Navi Pillay is a recognition, a reaffirmation that human rights, the rule of law and justice and accountability are fundamental to everything - to peace, security and prosperity,” said Türk.
“She embodies international law – having served in many functions, both in South Africa and internationally as a judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the International Criminal Court, and the now International Court of Justice.”
During her 28 years as a lawyer in South Africa, including the apartheid era, she defended anti-apartheid activists from the African National Congress, the Unity Movement, the Black Consciousness Movement, and the Azapo.
“On behalf of all her colleagues at the UN Human Rights Office, thank yo,u Navi. You continue to inspire us and millions of others. We will prevail,” said Türk.
The Nobel Peace Prize is worth 12 million Swedish crowns, around $1.2 million.
The Nobel Committee will present it in Oslo on December 10, 2026, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who established the awards.