LSE Honorary Doctor Navi Pillay awarded Nobel Peace Prize

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 has been awarded to Navi Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

Navi Pillay was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from LSE in 2010 and has spoken at LSE on numerous occasions. Her 2013 event, Freedom of Expression and Hate Speech: What International Human Rights Law Says is available as a podcast.

Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Navi Pillay dedicated her career to confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation and exclusion. The Norwegian Nobel Committee highlighted her commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass.

She was the first woman to start a law practice in her home province of Natal in 1967. Over the next few years she acted as a defence attorney for anti-apartheid activists, exposing torture, and helping establish key rights for prisoners on Robben Island, including Nelson Mandela.

Throughout a long career during which she has significantly enlarged the scope and impact of international law, Navi Pillay has served as a judge on the High Court in South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court. She was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and, until recently, she chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Pillay is currently a judge on the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee commented: "Navi Pillay is one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time. Her distinguished career reminds us of the need to support, fortify and expand the global rule of law. Navi Pillay’s commitment to justice and human dignity is a source of hope and inspiration to all who seek to bring about a more peaceful world."

Find out more about Navi Pillay and the Nobel Peace Prize 2026.