Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz Sharif has been invited to Muscat to receive the 2026 UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award for the province’s Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar low-cost housing programme.
According to a government press release, the award will be presented at a ceremony at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre on Monday, coinciding with World Habitat Day.
The UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour is the highest award associated with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
It recognises individuals, governments, cities, public institutions, organisations and projects for their contributions to affordable housing, sustainable urban development, basic urban services, reconstruction and disaster recovery.
The Punjab government’s Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar programme was selected for the 2026 award, according to the press release.
Myanmar, Brazil, Tunisia and London, England, were also selected for the honour.
The federal government said Maryam Nawaz had been specially invited to attend the ceremony in recognition of the housing initiative.
The chief minister dedicated the award to homeless people in Punjab, describing it as an honour for them.
“The UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour Award is an honour for the homeless people of Punjab,” she said.
Maryam also described the Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar programme as not only Pakistan’s but “the world’s best low-cost housing project”.
The UN-Habitat award has been presented around 200 times over the past 37 years, according to the press release.
In Pakistan, the honour was previously received by the deputy chairman of the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) in 2007.
