Navanethem «Navi» Pillay, 85 years old, new Nobel Peace Prize winner, is a South African magistrate who held the position of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. Of Tamil origin, she was the first non-white woman to become a judge of the High Court of South Africa.
From South African justice to international courts
Throughout her career, Pillay has served as a judge of the International Criminal Court and as president of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. During his mandate as High Commissioner he adopted, in September 2012, the document “Born Free and Equal”, dedicated to sexual orientation and gender identity in international law.
The Commission of Inquiry into the Occupied Palestinian Territory
Pillay was appointed chair of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry into the Occupied Palestinian Territory, established by the United Nations Human Rights Council after the 2021 Israeli-Palestinian crisis.