Pakistan’s housing program wins 2026 UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour
Apni Chhat Apna Ghar program recognized for expanding access to affordable housing for low-income families
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (MNTV) — Pakistan’s Punjab provincial government program providing interest-free loans to low-income families to build homes has received the 2026 UN-Habitat Scroll of Honour for expanding access to adequate and affordable housing.
The Punjab Housing and Town Planning Agency was one of five recipients selected from 101 nominations across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas. The awards were presented during the global observance of World Habitat Day in Muscat, Oman, under the theme “Adequate Housing for All.”
UN-Habitat recognized the agency for the Government of Punjab’s Apni Chhat Apna Ghar, or “Our Roof, Our Home,” program, launched in 2024. The initiative provides interest-free housing loans to eligible low-income families who already own small plots of land.
“Through the Apni Chhat Apna Ghar program, we are helping families across Punjab turn their dream into reality,” Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said. “This honor belongs to every family whose dream now has a door, a roof and a place to call home.”
Under the program, families apply online, while the Bank of Punjab and partner microfinance institutions release funds in stages as construction progresses. UN-Habitat said the initiative aims to reach women-headed households, informal workers and other groups often excluded from formal housing finance.
The agency combines public financing, digital technology and accountability mechanisms to expand access to safe and affordable housing while supporting local employment and economic activity, UN-Habitat said.
Global housing crisis
Pakistan faces a significant shortage of adequate and affordable housing as part of a wider global crisis. UN-Habitat’s 2026 World Cities Report estimates that up to 3.4 billion people lack adequate housing, while more than 1.1 billion people live in informal settlements and slums.
The Scroll of Honour was launched in 1989 and recognizes individuals and institutions whose work contributes to adequate housing, sustainable urbanization and improved urban life.
The other 2026 recipients were Housing NOW in Myanmar, Tunisian innovator Abdelmalek Ghannem, the Aldeia do Espraiado-Tekoa Ara Hovy Indigenous housing initiative in Brazil, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
UN-Habitat Executive Director Anacláudia Rossbach said the winning initiatives demonstrated ways governments and communities could respond to the global housing crisis.
“Housing underpins progress across the Sustainable Development Goals, yet billions of people are still lacking a safe and affordable home,” Rossbach said.
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