South African lawyer Navanethem “Navi” Pillay has been awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the decision in Oslo on Friday.The committee honoured Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law. It said she had shown exceptional courage and integrity in building a stronger global legal order.

Her work helped ensure that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.Pillay, 85, is a former judge of the International Criminal Court and served as the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. As a young lawyer under apartheid, she defended political prisoners and helped secure better conditions for inmates on Robben Island.She also chaired a UN commission of inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory. The committee said the prize comes at a time when the system of international law is under tremendous pressure and its institutions are under attack.Pillay learned of the award while attending a conference of human rights lawyers in Nuremberg, Germany.

She was chosen from 287 candidates for this year’s prize.