Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 to Navanethem Pillay

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 goes to a person who with exceptional courage and integrity has led the way towards a more comprehensive global legal order. This year’s laureate has been instrumental in ensuring that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide are prosecuted.

2026年诺贝尔和平奖授予了一位以非凡的勇气和正直，引领全球迈向更全面法律秩序的人。今年的获奖者在确保战争罪、危害人类罪和种族灭绝罪得到起诉方面发挥了关键作用。

The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 to Navanethem “Navi” Pillay for her efforts to promote peace and international law.

挪威诺贝尔委员会决定将2026年诺贝尔和平奖授予纳瓦内瑟姆·“纳维”·皮莱（Navanethem “Navi” Pillay），以表彰她为促进和平与国际法所做的努力。

Navi 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. 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.

纳维·皮莱对普遍法律原则的承诺和她坚定的道德准则贯穿了她漫长的职业生涯。皮莱出生于南非德班一个在种族隔离制度下的印度泰米尔裔家庭，她成为了一名律师和法律先驱，直面深刻的结构性歧视、种族隔离和排斥。从她早期为纳尔逊·曼德拉及其他反抗种族隔离的人士辩护，到她担任我们这个时代一些关键国际法庭案件的法官，一条共同的脉络贯穿始终。

This year’s laureate has significantly enlarged the scope and impact of international law. She has served as a judge on the High Court in South Africa, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the International Criminal Court. She was the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and, until recently, she chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory. Today Navi Pillay is a judge on the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide.

今年的获奖者极大地扩大了国际法的范围和影响力。她曾担任南非高等法院、卢旺达国际刑事法庭和国际刑事法院的法官。她曾任联合国人权事务高级专员，直到最近，她还担任联合国被占领土独立国际调查委员会主席。今天，纳维·皮莱在国际法院审理缅甸被控种族灭绝一案中担任法官。

In historic international court cases, she has shown that legal measures can help prevent acts of war and violence. Navi Pillay has also contributed to strengthen the institutions of international law. Her independence, expertise and steadfastness have made her one of the most respected international jurists of our time.

在历史性的国际法庭案件中，她证明了法律手段有助于防止战争和暴力行为。纳维·皮莱还为加强国际法机构做出了贡献。她的独立性、专业知识和坚定不移使她成为我们这个时代最受尊敬的国际法学家之一。

The first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded 125 years ago. Already then, the Norwegian Nobel Committee underscored the importance of resolving conflicts through international law – a theme that has remained prominent throughout the history of the peace prize. The reach of international law expanded after the Second World War, in particular with the creation of the UN institutions. The key insight was that lasting peace must be built on legal principles, not on the will of the strong or a fragile balance of power. Additional legal mechanisms were introduced in the post-war decades, and momentum picked up further after the end of the Cold War.

首届诺贝尔和平奖颁发于125年前。早在当时，挪威诺贝尔委员会就强调了通过国际法解决冲突的重要性——这一主题在和平奖的历史中始终占据重要地位。第二次世界大战后，特别是随着联合国机构的建立，国际法的覆盖范围得以扩大。其核心见解是，持久和平必须建立在法律原则之上，而不是建立在强者的意志或脆弱的权力平衡之上。战后几十年里，更多的法律机制被引入，冷战结束后，这一势头进一步增强。

However, the rules-based international order has never been perfect. The greatest powers have often evaded responsibility. In practice, cases brought under international law have produced different results depending on who is the perpetrator and who is the victim.

然而，基于规则的国际秩序从未完美。大国往往逃避责任。在实践中，根据国际法提起的案件，因肇事者和受害者的不同而产生不同的结果。

Nonetheless, we have seen that more and more conflicts are being addressed through diplomacy, treaties and legal mechanisms, rather than threats, violence and warfare. Leaders and populations alike have come to the same conclusion: international law is a foundation for a more peaceful world.

尽管如此，我们已经看到越来越多的冲突正通过外交、条约和法律机制，而不是威胁、暴力和战争来解决。领导人和民众都得出了同样的结论：国际法是通往更和平世界的基石。

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.

在面临生存挑战的时刻——包括世界长期以来未见的更多战争和冲突——国际法不再仅仅是和平与安全的补充。它是一项绝对的必要条件。

And yet, the system of international law is under tremendous pressure, and its institutions are under attack. We see a shift towards power politics at the expense of legal frameworks and global respect for law and justice. Whenever might overtakes right, it undermines stability, trust and peaceful co-existence.

然而，国际法体系正承受着巨大的压力，其机构正受到攻击。我们看到权力政治正在抬头，并以牺牲法律框架和全球对法律与正义的尊重为代价。每当强权凌驾于公理之上，它就会破坏稳定、信任与和平共处。

In awarding this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wants to remind the world that the rule of law – national and international – underpins the system we have set up to ensure peace and resolve conflicts non-violently. Peace requires justice.

在颁发今年诺贝尔和平奖时，挪威诺贝尔委员会希望提醒世界，法治——无论是国内法治还是国际法治——是我们为确保和平与非暴力解决冲突而建立的体系的基石。和平需要正义。

History has shown that a world operating without the rule of law is unjust, unwise and inhumane. The judges – those who guard the thin red line between order and chaos – are therefore highly deserving of our praise. But today, as these same judges are sanctioned, and their institutions are attacked, we need people of courage, vision and determination – qualities that Navi Pillay demonstrates in her work on the bench.

历史表明，一个没有法治的世界是不公正、不明智且不人道的。因此，法官们——那些守护秩序与混乱之间那条细微红线的人——理应受到我们的赞扬。但今天，当这些法官受到制裁，他们的机构受到攻击时，我们需要有勇气、有远见、有决心的人——而纳维·皮莱在法官席上的工作正是这些品质的体现。

Navi Pillay has held states and national leaders accountable and brought hope to victims of violence and conflict. In all the positions she has held, she has stressed the responsibility of individuals and states to comply with the rule of law. She has also helped define the relevant norms and legal principles. When the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda established that rape and sexual violence could constitute a crime against humanity – as well as genocide – her influence was a significant factor. In the same case, Ms Pillay was instrumental in a separate legal breakthrough: for the first time, a defendant faced charges of incitement to commit genocide purely on the basis of spreading propaganda.

纳维·皮莱让国家和国家领导人承担责任，并为暴力和冲突的受害者带来了希望。在她担任的所有职位中，她都强调个人和国家遵守法治的责任。她还帮助定义了相关的规范和法律原则。当卢旺达国际刑事法庭认定强奸和性暴力可以构成危害人类罪——以及种族灭绝罪时，她的影响力是一个重要因素。在同一案件中，皮莱女士在另一项法律突破中发挥了关键作用：被告首次仅因传播宣传而面临煽动种族灭绝的指控。

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2026 springs directly from Alfred Nobel’s will. Navi Pillay strengthens fraternity between nations and – by systematically advancing the use of tribunals for peace and justice – she provides substance, direction and motivation for peace conferences in their modern form.

2026年诺贝尔和平奖直接源于阿尔弗雷德·诺贝尔的遗嘱。纳维·皮莱加强了各国之间的友爱，并通过系统地推进法庭在和平与正义中的作用，为现代形式的和平会议提供了实质内容、方向和动力。

Navi Pillay is one of the great defenders of international legal principles in our time. Her distinguished career reminds us of the need to support, fortify and expand the global rule of law. Navi Pillay’s commitment to justice and human dignity is a source of hope and inspiration to all who seek to bring about a more peaceful world.

纳维·皮莱是我们这个时代伟大的国际法律原则捍卫者之一。她卓越的职业生涯提醒我们，有必要支持、加强和扩大全球法治。纳维·皮莱对正义和人类尊严的承诺，是所有寻求实现更和平世界的人们的希望和灵感来源。

Don’t miss the Nobel Prize announcements on 5–12 October. All announcements are streamed live here on nobelprize.org.

请勿错过10月5日至12日的诺贝尔奖公告。所有公告均会在 nobelprize.org 上进行直播。