Patanjali Civil Services Academy

Navi Pillay — Nobel Peace Prize [Prelims Bits]

Tags: Prelims Current events of national and international importance

Source: The Hindu

Context: South African-born jurist and former UN human rights chief, Navi Pillay, won the Nobel Peace Prize for promoting international law.
UN Human Rights Council: She chaired its Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel.
Commission findings: Reported genocide in Gaza and alleged incitement to genocide by Israeli leaders; Israel rejected the allegations. It also reported Hamas’s war crimes and violations of international humanitarian law.
Significance: Emphasised the rule of law, international criminal justice and accountability for violations of human rights.
Navi Pillay: Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2008–2014); served as a judge at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Nobel Peace Prize: Awarded by the Norwegian Nobel Committee; unlike other Nobel Prizes, it is awarded in Oslo, Norway.

Q1. The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel is associated with which of the following?

(a) United Nations Security Council

(b) United Nations Human Rights Council

(d) Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Answer: (b)

Explanation:

The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) established the Commission of Inquiry to investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law and human rights in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and in Israel.
Nature of findings: The Commission conducts investigations and reports its findings; these do not constitute a criminal court's judgment.
The UNHRC is an intergovernmental body within the UN system responsible for promoting and protecting human rights worldwide. It is distinct from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which prosecutes individuals for specified international crimes under its jurisdiction.