Navi Pillay, the South African judge and former U.N. human rights chief who has won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, is already joking about sharing the honor with Donald Trump.
She made the quip at the Nuremberg court, where she was attending an academic and legal conference. In footage posted by Amnesty International Secretary General Agnes Callamard, Pillay walks into a room full of applause and tells the crowd, “If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump.”
Amazing moment.
Navi Pillay has received the Nobel Peace Prize ! https://t.co/HL3r1PJzLO
We are at the Nuremberg Court; I cannot think of a stronger symbol for her Nobel prize.
We are all so thrilled!
This is her first reactions upon hearing the news: https://t.co/Crbj6XdiyQ
— Agnes Callamard (@AgnesCallamard) October 9, 2026
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the award on Friday, citing “for her efforts to promote peace and international law.” Pillay is 85. She was born into a family of Indian Tamil origin in Durban under apartheid. In 1967 she became the first Black woman to open her own law practice in Natal.
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Her résumé runs from there to the highest benches in international law. She headed the Rwanda genocide tribunal and served as UN human rights chief. She now sits as a judge at the International Court of Justice in the case where Myanmar stands accused of genocide.
The win is not uncontested.
Last year she presided over the UN commission that accused Israel of genocide in Gaza, and Israel said honoring her legitimized “anti-Israel hatred.” The Nobel committee denied it was taking a stance on whether Israel is committing genocide.
The committee’s own language has a familiar ring.
The press release says the prize goes to someone acting “with exceptional courage and integrity.” In 2025, a reporter asked Frydnes whether Trump’s campaigning for the prize had influenced the decision, and he answered that “that room is filled with both courage and integrity.” He was referring to the room where the committee sits.
Trump has spent years pursuing the prize, giving Pillay’s joke an added sting.
Last year the committee gave it to Venezuela’s María Corina Machado, who later handed her prize to Trump as a symbolic gesture. White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote on X, “The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.”
President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives.
He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will.
The Nobel Committee proved they place politics over peace.
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung47) October 10, 2025
Pillay has shared credit before.
When she accepted the 2025 Sydney Peace Prize, she said, “This award is not mine alone.” After the Nobel announcement, she dedicated the prize to survivors of international crimes, and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa congratulated her.
Featured image via X screengrab
