Maryam Nawaz Invited to Muscat to Receive UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has been invited to Muscat, Oman, to receive the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award 2026, the highest international recognition linked to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. The Maryam Nawaz UN-Habitat award will be presented on World Habitat Day, October 5.
She is being recognised for the Punjab government’s “Apni Chat, Apna Ghar” programme, which has been placed at the top of the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award 2026 list. The award goes to individuals, cities, governments, departments, civil society groups, private organisations, research institutes and projects. Around 200 awards have been presented over the past 37 years.
What the Maryam Nawaz UN-Habitat award means
The programme was chosen after a competitive review of housing projects from around the world. Only five programmes globally receive the UN Scroll of Honour each year, and “Apni Chat, Apna Ghar” was selected as one of the top five housing projects worldwide.
The scheme is Pakistan’s largest and first fully digital housing finance programme. Loans worth Rs260 billion have been disbursed for the construction of more than 200,000 houses. In the first phase, loans exceeding Rs196 billion were provided for 134,439 houses; in the second phase, more than Rs62 billion was allocated for 65,000 houses. Around 125,000 families have already moved into homes built under the scheme.
Apart from Pakistan, Myanmar, Brazil, Tunis and England have also been selected for the award this year. The last recipient from Pakistan was the deputy chairman of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), who received the award in 2007.
Reacting to the recognition, Maryam Nawaz said the award was an honour for the homeless people of Punjab. “Apni Chat, Apna Ghar programme is the best low-cost housing project not only in Pakistan, but in the whole world,” she claimed.
The award ceremony in Muscat will be accompanied by seminars and workshops on housing and urban development from October 6 to 8.
What is the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour?
It is the highest international award linked to the UN Human Settlements Programme, given each year to only five programmes worldwide for outstanding work in housing and urban development.
When will the award be presented?
On World Habitat Day, October 5, 2026, at a global ceremony in Muscat, Oman, followed by seminars and workshops on October 6 to 8.
What has “Apni Chat, Apna Ghar” achieved?
Rs260 billion in interest-free housing loans for more than 200,000 houses, with around 125,000 families already living in homes built under the scheme.
