Pakistan's Parliament has been recognised among the inaugural recipients of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's Green Mace Award, honouring environmental and sustainability initiatives undertaken by legislatures across the Commonwealth.

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq received the award at the conclusion of the 69th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Cape Town, South Africa, on September 17. The National Assembly of Pakistan also confirmed that Sadiq received the inaugural award during the conference.

The Green Mace Initiative is a new Commonwealth Parliamentary Association programme designed to recognise member legislatures that demonstrate leadership and innovation in environmental sustainability.

Pakistan's Parliament was one of six legislatures recognised in the initiative's first group of recipients. The others were the National Assembly of Seychelles, Gauteng Provincial Legislature, Québec National Assembly, Provincial Assembly of Punjab and Parliament of South Africa.

From Parliament House to Green Parliament

A central part of Pakistan's recognition is the transformation of Parliament House in Islamabad toward renewable energy.

According to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Pakistan's National Assembly became the world's first parliament powered entirely by solar energy in 2016. The system enables the parliamentary complex to meet its electricity requirements through solar power, providing an institutional example of renewable-energy adoption.

The CPA also highlighted Parliament's growing use of automation and digital systems in legislative drafting, committee reporting and other parliamentary processes.

According to the association, digitisation has significantly reduced paper consumption while improving efficiency, accessibility and transparency. Waste-management and energy-conservation practices have also been incorporated into the institution's sustainability efforts.

Speaker calls award a recognition of responsibility

Speaking after receiving the award, Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq described the recognition as part of a longer commitment to environmental responsibility rather than an end point.

He said Parliament's sustainability journey was driven by responsibility toward citizens and future generations, including the transition to solar power and greater digitisation of parliamentary work.

The National Assembly Secretariat also described the award as recognition of Pakistan Parliament's environmental initiatives and its move toward greener parliamentary operations.

A new Commonwealth sustainability initiative

The Green Mace Initiative was introduced by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association to encourage legislatures to reduce their environmental footprint and demonstrate practical leadership on sustainability.

The programme considers measures such as renewable energy, lower paper consumption, environmentally responsible parliamentary operations and other initiatives demonstrating leadership in sustainability. Applications are assessed as part of the CPA's wider work on climate change and sustainable development.

CPA Secretary-General Stephen Twigg said the Green Mace provides an opportunity for parliaments to showcase environmental achievements and leadership while encouraging sustainability across Commonwealth legislatures.

Pakistan's recognition comes as legislatures increasingly face pressure not only to make climate policy but also to reduce the environmental impact of their own institutions.

For Parliament House in Islamabad, the award places its solar-energy transition and digital reforms within a wider Commonwealth effort to demonstrate how public institutions can incorporate sustainability into their everyday operations.