Nobel Peace Prize laureate Navi Pillay jokes about sharing award with Trump

South African jurist Navi Pillay, who won the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, joked about US President Donald Trump’s claims that he deserved the award, saying she might share it with him if the audience applauded a little more.

“If you clap a little bit more, I may share this prize with Trump,” Pillay said in a video shared by Amnesty International Secretary-General Agnes Callamard on US social media company X.

Callamard said she was with Pillay at the Nuremberg Trials venue when they learned of the award.

“An incredible moment. Navi Pillay has won the Nobel Peace Prize. We are together at the Nuremberg Trials right now. I can’t think of a stronger symbol for this prize. We are all so happy,” Callamard wrote.

Pillay said she was pleased to learn of the award while surrounded by colleagues who support human rights.

“The last thing I did is the delivery of the report on Gaza, naming what’s happening there as genocide,” she said.

Pillay chaired the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory from July 2021 until her departure in 2025. Presenting the commission's findings to a UN General Assembly committee in October 2025, she said its legal analysis had established Israel's responsibility for genocide in Gaza.

Pillay said one of the main reactions to the report was to praise her courage, adding that she was surprised by the response.

“And you can imagine how surprised I was, why would you need courage to speak the truth?” she said. “You interpret the law, you look at all the facts, so it’s an impartial decision-making.”

Pillay, who turned 85 last month, said she remained involved as an ad hoc judge in the case brought by The Gambia against Myanmar and would continue supporting the Nuremberg Principles Academy.

“I can’t obviously stop my work in support of the Nuremberg Principles Academy because of the people we meet here,” she said.

Pillay was awarded the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote peace and strengthen international law.

Pakistan, Israel and Cambodia have said they nominated Trump for the prize, citing his role in efforts to resolve various conflicts. Trump has repeatedly said he believes he deserves the award.