\n<\/p>\n
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award to Navanethem \u201cNavi\u201d Pillay, recognising her longstanding work defending human rights and advancing international justice.<\/p>\n
\u201cA common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key international court cases of our time,\u201d the committee said.<\/p>\n
The UN human rights office welcomed Pillay\u2019s victory on Friday, praising her longstanding commitment to human rights.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is amazing news, we need more dedication and commitment to human rights,\u201d Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN human rights office, told reporters in Geneva.<\/p>\n
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, claiming he deserves the honour. However, Venezuelan opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado won the 2025 award.<\/p>\n
Who is Navi Pillay?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n Born into a poor Indian family in Durban, South Africa, Pillay grew up during the apartheid era and began her human rights work while the country enforced racial segregation.<\/p>\n The daughter of a bus driver, she became the first non-white woman to establish her own law practice in South Africa\u2019s Natal Province in 1967. She later became the first non-white woman appointed to South Africa\u2019s High Court.<\/p>\n After defending numerous opponents of apartheid, Pillay secured election by the UN General Assembly as a judge on the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. She served on the tribunal for eight years, including four years as its president.<\/p>\n More recently, she served on the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which the UN Human Rights Council established in 2021.<\/p>\n UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker T\u00fcrk also welcomed Pillay\u2019s Nobel Peace Prize, describing the award as a collective victory for human rights and for those seeking justice and accountability, including through the International Criminal Court.<\/p>\n \u201cThe fact that the Nobel Award Commission decided to give this to Navi Pillay is a collective win for human rights, but also for seeking justice and accountability in this world,\u201d T\u00fcrk told reporters on Friday.<\/p>\n He stressed the importance of international criminal accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court, and said the award sent a strong signal about their critical role in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n Pillay served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014, before T\u00fcrk succeeded her in the role.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n