Navanethem Pillay established her own law firm in 1967, becoming the first woman to do so in the Natal province of South Africa. A jurist with an extensive international record, she navigated a career that spanned the transition from apartheid-era legal restrictions to serving in the highest judicial chambers of the United Nations.
Legal Education and Early Practice
Born in Durban in 1941, Pillay graduated from the University of Natal with a Bachelor of Arts in 1963 and a Bachelor of Law in 1965. Her path to legal qualification required navigating the restrictions of the Separate Universities Act of 1959, which mandated segregation in higher education. She later pursued advanced studies in the United States, attending Harvard Law School to earn a Master of Law in 1982 and a doctorate in 1988.
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In 1995, the Judicial Service Commission confirmed her as a judge of the High Court of South Africa. Her work expanded to international tribunals, where she served as a judge and President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda between 1999 and 2003. Subsequently, she was elected as a judge to the International Criminal Court, serving in the Appeals Chamber until 2008.
United Nations and International Service
Pillay served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014. Her international roles continued after this term, including serving as a commissioner and Vice President for the International Commission Against the Death Penalty starting in 2015. She has also participated in the Permanent United Nations Fact Finding Mission on the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Fast facts
- Born: 1941, Durban, South Africa
- Education: University of Natal, Harvard Law School
- High Commissioner for Human Rights: 2008-2014
- Judge of the International Criminal Court: 2003-2008
- ICDP Commissioner and Vice President: 2015
- Otto Hahn Peace Medal recipient: 2020
- Gruber Prize for Women's Rights recipient
- Languages: English
Questions readers ask
What international human rights roles did Navanethem Pillay hold?
She served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2014 and was a commissioner and Vice President for the International Commission Against the Death Penalty starting in 2015.
Where did Pillay receive her legal education?
She earned her undergraduate law degrees from the University of Natal and completed her doctorate at Harvard Law School.
Achievements
- United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (2008–2014)
- Judge of the International Criminal Court (2003–2008)
- ICDP commissioner and Vice president (from 2015)
- Gruber Prize for Women's Rights
- Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany — 2020
- Otto Hahn Peace Medal — 2020
- Educated at University of Natal and Harvard Law School
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