Navi Pillay Age, Height, Husband, Nobel Prize, Net Worth

Navi Pillay is a South African legal expert who served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2026 for her efforts to promote peace and international law. She is a co-founder of ‘Equality Now,‘ an international group working for women’s rights.

Navi Pillay Biography

Navi Pillay Age

Navi Pillay (Navanetham Naidoo) was born on 23 September 1941 in Durban, South Africa. She is 85 years old as of October 2026, and his zodiac sign is Libra.

Navi Pillay Husband

Navi Pillay Family

Career

Navi Pillay Height And Weight

Navi Pillay Net Worth

Some Interesting Facts About Navi Pillay

• Navi Pillay was born and raised in a poor neighbourhood of Durban, Natal Province, Union of South Africa.
• Her grandfather came from India as an indentured servant to work on South African sugar plantations.
• Her parents had an arranged marriage during their early teens and had eight children.
• Her father was a bus driver and also took up other jobs while her mother was a homemaker.
• In school, Pillay experienced an environment completely different than her home life.
• Pillay had her first encounter with the law when she was five years old and testified in court after being robbed of 5 pounds.
• Pillay received many accolades for her writing during her early childhood.
• At 15, Pillay published an essay on the role of women in instilling values in children.
• She graduated from the University of Natal with a BA in 1963 and an LLB in 1965.
• She later attended Harvard Law School under the Harvard-South Africa Scholarship Program.
• She earned an LLM degree in 1982 and a Doctor of Juridical Science degree in 1988 from Harvard Law School.
• She met her husband Paranjothee “Gaby” Anthony Pillay in 1962.
• After graduating from the University of Natal, Pillay had the choice of becoming an advocate or an attorney.
• As a non-white lawyer under the Apartheid regime, she was not allowed to enter a judge’s chambers.
• During her 28 years as a lawyer in South Africa, she defended anti-Apartheid activists.
• In 1973, she won the right for political prisoners on Robben Island, including Nelson Mandela.
• She co-founded the Advice Dest for the Abused and ran a shelter for victims of domestic violence.
• Between 1999 and 2003, Pillay served on the ICTR and was elected President Judge.
• Navi Pillay was the only female judge for the first four years of the Tribunal.
• She caught the attention of the members of the Women’s Caucus for Gender Justice during the late 1990s.
• In 2003, Pillay received the inaugural Gurber Prize for Women’s Rights.
• In 2009, Forbes ranked her as the 64^th most powerful woman in the world.
• In 2026, she was awarded the Olof Palme Prize and the Nobel Peace Prize.

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