The Nobel Peace Prize for Navanethem ‘Navi’ Pillay, a South African jurist of Indian origin, is a deserving recognition of her work for peace and justice both in her country and abroad. The honour for Pillay, the granddaughter of indentured Tamil workers who moved to Natal in South Africa, may have evoked Mahatma Gandhi’s years in that country, when he, also a lawyer, fought against apartheid. Growing up in South Africa at a time when apartheid was state policy, Pillay experienced segregation and racial prejudices. She protested against abuses under apartheid and later, as a lawyer, campaigned against them. Through her professional and public life, Pillay expanded her sense of justice to cover human rights at the international level, with a commitment to support the weaker and wronged sections of people.

She served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014 and as an ad hoc judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). She also chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory between 2021 and 2025. The Nobel committee said she had been awarded the Prize “for her efforts to promote peace and international law”. It cited her firm moral compass and important contributions to the development of an international legal order.

It said: “At a time of existential challenges – including more wars and conflicts than the world has seen in a long time – international law is no longer just a supplement to peace and security. It is an absolute necessity.” The statement makes the important point that justice is best delivered within the framework of international law, and practising peace is not possible without serving the ends of justice. Pillay dedicated the award “to all of the survivors of international crimes”. She made the statement when she was at the courts in Germany’s Nuremberg that hosted the trial of Nazi criminals after World War II.

Speaking at a gathering after the announcement of her award, Pillay remembered that the commission she headed had concluded last year that Israel was responsible for the genocide in Gaza with a specific intent to eliminate Palestinians. This reference should remind the world of its most serious contemporary human rights issue; it adds relevance to this Prize. The Nobel committee has done well to make a choice that sends out the message that international crimes should be investigated and adjudicated, and that law should have a moral dimension. (Source: DH)