(Image: DURHAM UNIVERSITY)
A Durham University honorary graduate and former Durham Law School figure has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and international law.
Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay, who received an Honorary Doctor of Civil Law from Durham University in 2007, was named this year’s laureate by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
The South African lawyer and judge has longstanding links with the university, having served as chair of Durham Law School’s Centre for Criminal Law and Criminal Justice.
Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, speaks during a press conference, at the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Oct. 18, 2012 (Image: AP)
She has also spoken at Durham and provided the foreword to Rethinking Rape Law: International and Comparative Perspectives, co-written by Durham Law School professor Clare McGlynn.
The Nobel Committee awarded Dr Pillay the prize “for her efforts to promote peace and international law”, describing her as a “champion for international legal order”.
Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin in apartheid-era Durban, Dr Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer, challenging discrimination and segregation.
Her career took her from defending anti-apartheid activists to serving as a judge on the High Court of South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court.
She later served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The Chairman of the Nobel Committee, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, shows a photograph of 2026 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navanethem Pillay after the announcement at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway, today (Image: JAVAD PARSA)
Her work at the Rwanda tribunal helped establish that sexual violence and rape could lead to prosecution for crimes against humanity and genocide.
Professor McGlynn said: “Navi Pillay is a legal pioneer who ensured the world recognised rape as a form of genocide.
“She has worked tirelessly to encourage lawyers, academics and students around the world, including in her inspirational address at the Durham University conference on Rethinking Rape Law, to strive for legal recognition of women’s rights and the pursuit of justice.”
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Durham Law School’s Professor Michael Bohlander described Dr Pillay’s career as “one continuous crusade for justice”.
He added: “Her courage and total lack of fear in the face of opposition from powerful people are qualities which serve as a shining example of what the rule of law is about.”
The Nobel Committee said Dr Pillay’s “commitment to universal legal principles” and “firm moral compass” had been constants throughout her career.