COPENHAGEN, Oct 9 (Bernama-dpa) -- The 2026 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to jurist Navanethem "Navi" Pillay of South Africa "for her efforts to promote peace and international law," the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday, reported German news agency dpa.
Pillay, whose background is Indian Tamil, grew up in the eastern coastal city of Durban, where she set up her own law firm in the 1960s.
She has been "at the forefront in the development of an international legal order" after starting out "defending activists who stood up against apartheid," the committee said.
She studied at Harvard University in the United States, where she gained a doctorate in juridical science in 1988. She was appointed to the High Court of South Africa in 1995.
"The Norwegian Nobel Committee attaches importance to Navi Pillay's role as a driving force in the development of an international system of law and order, while further emphasizing her judicial rigour, personal integrity and considerable courage," the citation read.
"At a time when the number of wars and conflicts is rising, and when judges and institutions of international law are under political attack, the Nobel Committee wishes to issue a reminder that the ability to resolve conflicts without force or violence is dependent on the international rule of law.
"An international legal system in which war criminals are held to account and the victims of abuse see justice served is a precondition for a peaceful world."
--BERNAMA-dpa