Navanethem "Navi" Pillay, a former UN human rights chief and current judge on the International Court of Justice (ICJ), has won the Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel committee announced her recognition for efforts to promote peace and international law.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel committee, stated that 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 international court cases of our time." The committee emphasised the importance of the international rule of law for resolving conflicts without force.
Pillay, 85, from South Africa, previously led the UN independent international commission of inquiry, which last year concluded that genocide was occurring in Gaza. She told Agence France-Presse at the time that her team had shared "thousands of pieces of information" with prosecutors at the international criminal court.
The UN human rights agency spokesperson, Shabia Mantoo, said the award highlighted "the need and to the value of human rights in this world more than ever."