South African-born jurist and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for “her efforts to promote peace and international law,” according to Jorgen Watne Frydnes, the Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee. Frydnes continued:“Pillay’s commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass are constants in a long career. Born into a family of Indian Tamil origin under apartheid in Durban, South Africa, Pillay became a lawyer and legal pioneer, confronting deep structural discrimination, segregation and exclusion.”The Nobel Committee Chair added:“A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who stood up against apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the key/historic international court cases of our time… She has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence.”Navi Pillay, 85, is not currently married. Her ex-husband, Gaby Pillay, died in the late 1990s, according to MS Magazine.Jorgen Watne Frydnes also stated:“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.”More about Navi Pillay’s familyNavi Pillay, whose full name is Navanethem Pillay, was born to Tamil immigrants from India in a downtrodden neighborhood in Durban, South Africa, in September 1941. She is the fifth of eight siblings.Her grandparents worked on South African sugar plantations in the 19th century. Navi’s father, Narrainsamy Naidoo, was a bus driver and part-time fisherman, while her mother, Santhama Naidoo, was a homemaker.Navi Pillay met Indian-origin Paranjothee “Gaby” Anthony Pillay in 1962 at a college ball for new students. Back then, they were both law students. They danced at the event, became friends, and eventually lovers.Three years later, the couple tied the knot. They could not have biological children and decided to adopt two daughters a few years apart, Isvari and Kamini.In an August 2019 interview with local South African network eNCA, Navi Pillay recalled the day she took her daughters to a public park despite knowing they were solely reserved for White children.Navi and Gaby Pillay were married for three decades, a period marked by frequent separations as she traveled for her work, including to Tanzania and The Hague. They later divorced.In the above-mentioned interview, Ms. Pillay also spoke about her ex-husband’s career difficulties during the Apartheid years, when he was detained by the government and placed in solitary political confinement. Additionally, Navi broke her silence about Gaby’s alcoholism.According to South African History Online, she also represented Gaby Pillay when he was charged under the Terrorism Act.Navi Pillay was awarded the 2025 Sydney Peace Prize by the Sydney Peace Foundation for her contribution to human rights, women’s rights, international justice, and accountability for serious crimes.Last year, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado won the Nobel Peace Prize for keeping “the flame of democracy burning amid a growing darkness” in her country. She later gave her medal to U.S. President Donald Trump after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as a symbolic gesture.