Punjab’s housing story has gone global. The Apni Chhat Apna Ghar UN-Habitat award, presented at the World Habitat Day ceremony in Muscat, Oman, on 5 October 2026, places the province’s low-cost housing programme among the five most celebrated housing initiatives in the world this year. Chosen from 101 nominations across four continents, the programme is reported to be the first Pakistani provincial housing project ever to receive the UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour.
Why the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar UN-Habitat Award Matters
The Scroll of Honour is one of the highest international honours of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, launched in 1989 to recognise outstanding contributions to adequate housing and sustainable urban development. The Apni Chhat Apna Ghar UN-Habitat award carries added weight this year: it was presented under the theme “Adequate Housing for All” at the global observance of World Habitat Day, hosted by the Sultanate of Oman at the Oman Convention and Exhibition Centre in Muscat from 5 to 8 October.
UN-Habitat announced the five winners from Nairobi on 2 October, naming the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency of Lahore as Pakistan’s winning entry. The agency was cited for its significant contribution to expanding access to adequate, safe and affordable housing for low-income households, which is the heart of the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar programme.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif received the award in person as a special state guest. UN-Habitat Executive Director Anaclaudia Rossbach welcomed her and the other participants at the ceremony.
“An honour for the homeless people of Punjab.”, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif, dedicating the award after the Muscat ceremony
Five Winners Chosen from 101 Nominations
Pakistan shared the 2026 stage with housing champions from four other countries:
- Housing NOW of Bago, Myanmar: resilient housing for communities affected by conflict, displacement and poverty.
- Aldeia do Espraiado, Marica, Brazil: secure, culturally appropriate housing with legal land tenure for an indigenous village community.
- Abdelmalek Ghannem of Bizerte, Tunisia: building materials made from local and mining residues.
- Mayor Sadiq Khan of London, United Kingdom: leadership in affordable and sustainable housing in the British capital.
The Apni Chhat Apna Ghar UN-Habitat award was one of five Scroll of Honour awards presented in Muscat this year. Read the official UN-Habitat announcement of the five winners and the background on the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
How Apni Chhat Apna Ghar Works
The programme behind the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar UN-Habitat award, run by the Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency, was launched in August 2024 and offers interest-free loans to low-income families who own a small plot of land but cannot afford to build on it. Families apply online, and the Bank of Punjab together with partner microfinance institutions release the funds in stages as construction progresses. The design deliberately reaches households that formal housing finance usually leaves out, especially women-headed families and informal workers.
The programme’s ambition is striking: 500,000 homes within five years, supported by interest-free financing and a second track that identifies state land for joint ventures with the private sector. That target, recorded in the programme’s submission to UN-Habitat, grew from an initial plan of just 17,000 loans, a scale-up that speaks to the pace of the rollout.
The Numbers Behind the Programme
By the time of the award, government figures showed loans worth Rs260 billion had been disbursed for more than 200,000 houses. The first phase channelled over Rs196 billion to 134,439 houses, while the second phase provided more than Rs62 billion for 65,000 houses. Around 125,000 families have already moved into homes built with support from the programme, according to the provincial government’s reporting.
For a country where owning a roof remains out of reach for millions of low-income families, adequate housing is also a health story. Safe, uncrowded homes mean cleaner surroundings, better sanitation and healthier childhoods, the same goals that drive national drives like Saaf Sehatmand Pakistan, which champions clean and healthy living for every Pakistani. Housing dignity also connects with efforts like Hadiqa Kiani’s 100 houses for flood affectees and support programmes such as free flour for 1.1 crore families in Ramzan.
The Apni Chhat Apna Ghar UN-Habitat Award: A First for Pakistan
The Apni Chhat Apna Ghar UN-Habitat award marks the first time a Pakistani provincial housing project has received this international recognition. It also lands at a moment when Pakistan is building a stronger global profile across many fields. Coverage of the ceremony in The News noted the Chief Minister’s personal presence as a special state guest in Muscat.
Speaking after the ceremony, the Chief Minister said the programme was helping families across Punjab turn their dream into reality, and that the honour belonged to every family whose dream now has a door, a roof and a place to call home. At its heart, the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar UN-Habitat award carries a simple idea: a roof of one’s own is where dignity begins. For hundreds of thousands of families in Punjab, that roof is now on its way.
Sources
- UN-Habitat: five housing initiatives recognized with the 2026 Scroll of Honour (official)
- The News: Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz recognised with UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour
- Wikipedia: United Nations Human Settlements Programme
Umar is an engineer by profession and a passionate writer by passion. He has a deep interest in sharing good news related to Pakistan and has been working hard to promote the positive image of his homeland. Umar has written numerous articles on various topics related to Pakistan, such as technology, sports, culture, and economy.