Francesca Albanese

UN Special Rapporteur, Legal Scholar, and Global Advocate for Justice in Palestine

Francesca Albanese is a globally respected international human rights lawyer, legal scholar, and author whose work has transformed the global understanding of justice in Palestine. Since May 2022, she has served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967 (oPt), where her courageous and principled voice has brought unprecedented global attention to systemic injustices, war crimes, and violations of international law in the region.

Albanese’s tireless legal advocacy, deeply rooted in international human rights law, has exposed the structural violence, apartheid, and ongoing occupation of Palestinian land. Her work has shifted international discourse, challenging decades of inaction and calling for meaningful accountability, justice, and peace. She is not only documenting violations; she is catalyzing global movements demanding real, lawful solutions.

Her landmark reports as Special Rapporteur—including on the denial of Palestinian self-determination, the mass incarceration of civilians, violations of child rights (“unchilding”), and most recently, two legal assessments on the unfolding genocide in Gaza (2024a and 2024b)—have reverberated across the UN system, civil society, and global media. These reports have become essential references for international legal bodies, humanitarian organizations, and scholars.

Making the Case for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize

Francesca Albanese’s unwavering commitment to truth and justice, particularly in the face of significant political pressure and defamation campaigns, demonstrates moral courage of the highest order. Her work meets and exceeds the standards of previous Nobel Peace Prize laureates—those who have fearlessly defended human rights under occupation, spoken truth to power, and advanced peace grounded in justice.

She represents the conscience of international law in one of the most prolonged and politically sensitive human rights crises of our time. Her approach is not one-sided—it is principled, inclusive, and law-based. As she has stated:
“Resolving the Question of Palestine is not complicated if international law is the compass. It requires ending the genocide, dismantling the unlawful occupation, and eradicating apartheid. Only then can Palestinians and Israelis live in freedom and peace in the land they both call home.”

Awarding Francesca Albanese the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize would honor not only her individual contribution but also the millions of voices she represents—those calling for peace with justice, dignity, and freedom in Palestine and Israel.

Academic, Legal, and Humanitarian Impact

A thought leader in refugee rights and international humanitarian law, Albanese is the author of Palestinian Refugees in International Law (Oxford University Press, 2020), a definitive legal text hailed as a milestone in refugee and Middle East law. Her more recent work, J’Accuse (2024), offers a powerful legal and moral indictment of global complicity and silence in the face of grave human rights abuses.
She is an affiliate scholar at Georgetown University’s Institute for the Study of International Migration, and co-leads legal and migration research for the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD). Albanese also co-founded the Global Network on the Question of Palestine (GNQP), a coalition of experts and academics advancing policy grounded in human rights and decolonization.

Global Advocate for Human Rights and Rule of Law

Francesca Albanese is widely recognized for her integrity, fearlessness, and clarity. She has addressed global bodies, parliaments, universities, and human rights forums with one unshakable message: international law must be upheld—without exception or political distortion.

As a champion for peace, accountability, and universal dignity, her voice resonates far beyond legal circles. She is a driving force in the international movement to end impunity and build a just future for all in the region.