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Navi Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize. Her humility and determination are lessons for world leaders
After learning that Justice Navi Pillay was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, US President Donald Trump took to social media to demonise the prize, Norway, and the International Criminal Court, and to call Pillay a “hater”.
Justice Pillay’s response? Humour.
“If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump,” the international human rights judge said, learning she’d received the prize while in Germany for a conference on international law and human rights.
She was referring to Trump’s tantrum the year before, when he was also snubbed for the award in favour of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado, who then gave her award to Trump.
While Trump would likely have been waiting by the phone for a call from Oslo, Justice Pillay had no idea she would win it. In Oslo, when announcing the recipient, Jørgen Watne Frydnes said they had been trying to reach Justice Pillay to let her know but had so far been unsuccessful. He said, “If you see a Norwegian number, please pick up the phone!”
When Justice Pillay finally heard the news in the presence of her international law colleagues, she thanked those in the room for applauding her, saying the applause meant so much and that she still couldn’t believe it.
She received the Nobel Peace Prize for her lifelong dedication to international law and global justice, including her work at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, which changed international human rights law by becoming the first court to hold that sexual violence can be an act of genocide.
“Everyone says, ‘When are you going to stop? When are you going to stop? I just turned 85 last month,” she laughed on learning she’d received the award and declaring she “thought it was a joke” at first.
Justice Pillay’s work involves exploring the worst of what humans do to each other, but she still refuses to give up on what humans can achieve in justice and for the victim survivors of crimes against humanity.
She said people often pay tribute to the ‘courage’ behind her work, which she finds peculiar: the real courage belongs to those who give evidence.
I heard that same humility and warm, generous nature when I interviewed Justice Pillay for the Women’s Agenda Podcast in November 2025, as she received the Sydney Peace Prize.
I also heard about her extraordinary resilience and her ability to stay hopeful and vigorous while investigating horrific crimes.
It’s remarkable, given she’s been at this work for six decades, including investigating genocide in Rwanda, Myanmar and Gaza. This career followed her facing discrimination in her home country, South Africa, before she became the first woman of colour appointed as a judge in South Africa.
I asked at the time how Justice Pillay personally copes with hearing and seeing so much detail of human suffering, including sexual assault and rape — from apartheid in South Africa to Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Palestine. “Angela, it’s not about us,” she said. “It’s about the victims… You can never give up.”
She also shared how she gets inspiration from others.
“I’m inspired by activism on the part of civil society. I’m inspired by young people today, who will never put up with discrimination against women and girls as my generation had to go through,” she said.
“So each step is a gain. People talk in terms of rights. There’s a rights culture, even among children. So I see great hope. I’m exhilarated by actions taken by civil society.”
She also noted the importance of continuing to speak and act for others, regardless of how much you’ve already put into the work.
“I’m in my eighties and for how many years I’ve been dealing with violence against women, private violence in the homes and public violence. But you can never give up. They can’t speak or act for themselves,” she said. “I have some power, whether as a lawyer, or High Commissioner for Human Rights, or a judge, and now chair of this Commission of Inquiry.”
“I’m not saying we go out looking for the evidence or that we make up things. Absolutely not. We are trained to have absolute integrity and respect the truth. So I will continue.”
Justice Pillay said the Nobel Peace Prize only strengthens her resolve.
“This award strengthens my conviction that we must stand together in defence of the rule of law, in defence of independent courts and an international legal order based on principle rather than subjectivity,” she said.
“Let me dedicate this award to all of the survivors of international crimes, as well as the practitioners and defenders of international justice whose compassion and courage continue to ensure that impunity will not be allowed to reign.
**_We’ve just re-released our Women’s Agenda Podcast conversation with Justice Navi Pillay, timed to her Nobel Peace Prize win. Check it out on iTunes or Spotify._**
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by Angela Priestley
4 days ago
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