Peace Boat Congratulates Navi Pillay on the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Peace Boat extends our heartfelt congratulations to former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem "Navi" Pillay on being awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, and we commend the Norwegian Nobel Committee for its timely and historic decision.

The world today stands on the brink of an unprecedented crisis in the rule of law. The hostility and suppression directed by major powers toward the International Criminal Court (ICC) are a stark symbol of this reality. In a world that possesses enough nuclear weapons to destroy itself multiple times over, collapse of the rule of law would signify the potential destruction and extinction of humanity and global society itself.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee's choice serves as an earnest and frank warning to humanity in the face of this crisis. It is time for us to listen intently to this warning, share a profound sense of urgency across borders, and dedicate all possible efforts to consolidating the rule of law rather than the rule of force.

Achieving peace without relying on military force and building a sustainable society through international solidarity is indeed possible. However, the establishment and enforcement of a universal legal order is indispensable to achieving that end.

As members of international civil society, we hold firmly in our memory the words of Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee: "Whenever might overtakes right, it undermines stability, trust and peaceful co-existence."

We remember that Navi Pillay in an international tribunal recognized violence against women during wartime as a crime against humanity, and that the UN committee she led explicitly recognized the killings in Gaza by Israeli occupying forces as genocide.

We will continue to carry out cross-border solidarity in support of Navi Pillay and all those within the United Nations and international bodies such as the ICC and ICJ who lead efforts to achieve peace and justice under the rule of law.

October 10, 2026

Peace Boat