India, Oct. 9 -- The Nobel Peace Prize 2026 has been awarded Navanethem 'Navi' Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law. Pillay's commitment to universal legal principles and her strong moral compass have defined her long career.

A common thread runs from her early work defending Nelson Mandela and others who opposed apartheid to her service as a judge in some of the most significant international court cases of our time, according to the Nobel Prize.

Born and brought up in a family of Tamil descent in Durban, South Africa, Pillay was educated in the law and soon began defending activists who stood up against apartheid. In 1967, she founded her own law firm, in the 1980s she studied at Harvard University and earned ...