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Nobel peace prize for Pillay is testimony to 'value' of rights: UN
AFP, Geneva
Published: 09 Oct 2026, 05:03 PM
New United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, South African judge Navanethem (Navi) Pillay poses in her office at the Palais Wilson, headquarters of the specialised UN agency as she takes up her post on Spetember 1, 2008 in Geneva. Photo: AFP
The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to South African jurist Navi Pillay shows that human rights are more important than ever, the UN said on Friday.
Pillay, who served as UN Commissioner for Human Rights, and also headed the Rwanda genocide tribunal, was recognised by the Nobel committee for her "commitment to universal legal principles and her firm moral compass".
"It's wonderful to see this being awarded to Navi Pillay, the former High Commissioner for the Human Rights. It is (a) testament to the need and to the value of human rights in this world more than ever," Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN human rights agency, said.
Volker Turk, the current UN commissioner for human rights, said the award was "a recognition, a reaffirmation that human rights, the rule of law and justice, and accountability are fundamental to everything, to peace, to security, and prosperity".
"It's a fantastic recognition of not only what she embodies, but also of her as a person -- as a very warm person, as someone who has touched many of the lives of my colleagues," he added.
"On behalf of all the colleagues here at the UN Human Rights Office, a very warm welcome, a very warm congratulations, and a big thank you to Navi."