Navanethem "Navi" Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for her efforts to promote peace and international law. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said she won "for her efforts to promote peace and international law." Born in Durban, this Indian-origin jurist fought for human rights and defended anti-apartheid activists.
Navanethem "Navi" Pillay won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday "for her efforts to promote peace and international law," the Norwegian Nobel Committee said. The peace prize is the fifth Nobel awarded this week, after literature, chemistry, physics and medicine. Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado won in 2025.
Five things about Navanethem "Navi" Pillay:
1. First Black woman to serve as a judge on South Africa's High Court: Born in Durban on September 23, 1941, to Indian parents of Tamil descent, Navanethem "Navi" Pillay became the first Black woman appointed to South Africa's High Court in 1995, following the end of apartheid.
2. Defended anti-apartheid activists: In 1967, Pillay became the first woman to open a law practice in South Africa's Natal province. She defended anti-apartheid activists and fought against the mistreatment of political detainees.
3. Played a key role in a landmark genocide case: As a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, she contributed to the landmark Akayesu case, which established that rape and sexual violence could constitute acts of genocide under certain circumstances. She served as the tribunal's president from 1999 to 2003.
4. Led the UN's human rights office: Pillay served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from September 2008 to August 2014, advocating for the protection of human rights around the world.
5. Studied at Harvard and co-founded a women's rights organisation: Pillay earned a master's degree in law in 1982 and a Doctor of Juridical Science degree in 1988 from Harvard University. She also co-founded Equality Now, an international organisation working to advance women's rights.
Career
2003-2008 -- Appeals Division Judge, International Criminal Court in The Hague
1999-2003 -- President, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
1995-1999 -- Judge, International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda 1995; Acting Judge, Supreme Court of South Africa
1995 -- Vice-President, University of Durban Westville
1985 -- Co-founded international women's rights group Equality Now
1980 -- Lecturer, University of KwaZulu-Natal
1967-1995 - Attorney and Conveyancer, High Court of South Africa
1967 -- First woman to start a law practice in Natal Province, South Africa. Defence attorney for many anti-apartheid activists.