Distinctions Awarded 2007

1
Annual Report 2007
Norwegian People’s Aid is the labour movement’s humanitarian
organisation. Our vision is Solidarity in Action. We support people in their
efforts to protect and promote their own interests.
Our work is based on collaboration between equal partners – not
on charity. Charity delivers control to the giver over the recipient,
whereas solidarity means respecting people’s integrity and their
right to stipulate their own conditions.
Norwegian People’s Aid is not a politically neutral organisation. We
adopt specific standpoints in important social debates. Our goal of
a more just world means that we often choose partners that are in
conflict with those in power.
Our work in Norway carries the stamp of our members’ efforts,
including considerable contributions to our health and rescue
services. Work against racism and the running of refugee
receptions centres are other important activities.
On the international level, Norwegian People’s Aid has projects in
35 different countries. We undertake long-term development
work in which popular participation and organisation are important
measures in securing human rights and giving people greater
influence over their own lives and social development.
Countries trying to get back on their feet following years of war or
conflict need assistance in building democratic institutions such
as legal systems and independent media. Such activity also forms
part of the international efforts of Norwegian People’s Aid.
We are well known for our extensive humanitarian demining
and political commitment against mines and cluster munitions. Our
CONTENTS
2 2007 – A YEAR OF GREAT CHALLENGES
3 PROTECTION OF LIFE AND HEALTH – ISSUE OF THE YEAR 2007
4 VOLUNTEER WORK FOR ALL
5 REFUGEE RECEPTION CENTRES
6 NORWEGIAN PEOPLE’S AID YOUTH – TOUGH, BOLD AND DIFFERENT
7 OIL – A BLESSING OR A CURSE?
8 TEN YEARS OF LAND MINE PROHIBITION
9 CLUSTER MUNITIONS
10 JOINT ACTION FOR PALESTINE
11 WOMEN CAN DO IT
12 INDIGENOUS WOMEN’S MEETING
13 ANNUAL REPORT
Published by Norwegian people’s Aid 2008
Photo: Stig Marlon Weston, Trond Isaksen, Lena Fiske, Kirsti Knudsen, John Rodsted, Fredrik Larsen,
Marcel Leiliënhof, Inger Sandberg, Torunn Aaslund, Nina Monsen, Espen Brekke, Christina Santacruz
Layout: Fryd Forlag, Heidi Nylund Larsen
Translation: Neil Howard
The annual report is also available in Norwegian.
www.folkehjelp.no
work in these fields comprises a useful tool in securing people’s
access and rights to land, water and other natural resources.
Distinctions Awarded 2007
30-year pins
Dagfinn Bjørkelo, Lørenskog
Inger Lise Bjørnsletten, Vestre Toten
Kjell Dahle, Vestre Toten
Arild Danielsen, Odalen
Gudrun Gordon, Stavanger
Randi Pritzlaff Hansen, Hamar
Bjørnar Hanssen, Finnsnes
Sissel Hanssen, Finnsnes
Knut Haugen, Oslo
Karin Høiby, Odalen
Steinar Høiby, Odalen
Tore Johansen, Hamar
Per Otto Knudsen, Hamar
Liv Karin Kulstad, Hamar
Jan A. Løkken, Odalen
Jorunn Næss, Lørenskog
Inge Skjellaug, Oslo
Edel Solberg, Skedsmo
Lauritz Subberud, Hamar
Aud Vestby, Odalen
Rolf Vestby, Odalen
Honorary Membership
Anne-Grethe Odrun Hauge Arnesen, Oslo
Liv Billing, Oslo
Marit Danielsen, Skedsmo
Svanhild M. Fosterud, Skedsmo
Asgeir Nordengen, Oslo
Jan Erik Holgersen Opsahl, Oslo
Annie Pettersen
Åse Ravdal, Oslo
Else Myhren Repål, Oslo
1
2007 – a year of great challenges
Finn Erik Thoresen served as Secretary
General to Norwegian People’s Aid
throughout 2007 before taking over
the chairmanship of the organisation.
He is particularly proud of the increasing commitment from the young
members in Norwegian People’s Aid.
– The Issue of the Year, 2007 – the protection of
life and health – covers a great deal of what our
local chapters undertake in the form of voluntary
work for a whole range of different groups within
the country. We commit considerable efforts
towards groups who find themselves outside
society’s current welfare arrangements, and we
are both imaginative and steadfast in this work.
Our work has an important health policy aspect
and we involve local authorities and politicians.
Our goal is always to make ourselves unneces-
sary, that out services and activities will gradually
be taken over by the public sector. One example
of this is our work with epilepsy and the Kure
Centre. It was a sad step to cease running Kure
after 43 years, but wholly necessary from our
side. Today, we can see the public sector delivering equally good service to its users as we were
previously able to provide.
– First aid, rescue and preparedness are perhaps
the services we immediately connect with the protection of life and health. These are central national
activities and are put into action in many different
contexts throughout the year. Among the things I
would like to mention are our important contributions
to the state of readiness over Easter, our first aid
services during the Norway Cup and the safety at sea
campaign during the summer months.
– The running of refugee reception centres and
our work with refugees and asylum seekers are
other good examples of work protecting life and
health that we undertake on a national basis.
International Work
– The protection of life and health is also reflected
in many of our international activities. First and
foremost I would like to mention our work against
cluster bombs, which was a central issue throughout 2007. This work is, of course, of tremendous
importance to all victims of cluster bombs, but it is
important on an internal basis too – in the sense
that such work is wholly in keeping with what Norwegian People’s Aid is, and what it stand for.
– Thorough strategic groundwork, combined
with broad professional skills and experience, was
decisive to Norwegian People’s Aid making such
a positive mark in 2007. When one thinks of the
2
opponents we encountered in our work towards
an international agreement on the ban of cluster
bombs – opponents such as the US, China and
Russia – it is proof of the value of perseverance.
– The Palestine Campaign, in association with LO,
came to its conclusion on 1st May, 2007. In its course, we put a spotlight on the difficult, wholly unacceptable situation that the Palestinians find themselves
in. We will persevere in out strong commitment on
behalf of the people of Palestine.
– I have great respect for the work carried out
in all Norwegian People’s Aid offices abroad. Our
employees manage an extraordinary contribution
despite the enormous daily pressure under which
many of them live.
Proud of Youth
Young people in Norwegian People’s Aid are an
important source of inspiration for Finn Erik.
– It’s both wonderful and inspiring to see how
attractive the organisation has become to young
members. The number of young, committed members grows year by year, and there are not that
many organisations whose percentage of members under 30 is as much as 35 per cent. That is
really something to be proud of!
– I would also like to mention the General Assembly which took place in June 2007. This was
a splendid occasion, to which all contributed in
a constructive fashion, and it was tremendously
inspiring to take part and set the agenda for the
meeting. The General Assembly was informed
with broad agreement concerning the objectives
of our future activity, and this promises well for the
new four year period we have just entered.
The Way Forward
Finn Erik handed over his responsibilities as
Secretary General to Petter Eide on 1st January 2008 and assumed the office of Chairman,
succeeding Grete Faremo.
– It feels like the right thing to have done, and I
now have more time to do the things I really want to
do. Generally speaking, my involvement is divided
along three axes: Organisation building, volunteer
work and the international work for solidarity. As
Chairman, I get to work in all three areas. To improve
the visibility of Norwegian People’s Aid and to clarify
its political position, as well as to continue network
building, are probably the aspects I am most satisfied
to have time to work on now. Beyond that, my main
focus for the future in 2008 is to fulfil the resolutions
of the General Assembly for this four year period.
The structuring and development of the organisation
itself also occupies a central position, and I believe
the work we have begun on defining and prioritising
our core activities – both nationally and internationally
– will make Norwegian People’s Aid a united and
effective organisation.
The Protection of life and health – Issue of the Year 2007
The protection of life and health
has permeated the activities of
Norwegian People’s Aid from its very
beginning in 1939. It is one of the
core premises of our activities, both
at home and abroad.
Throughout the year, the protection of life and
health has been brought to the fore in many different ways. The campaign was launched on 21st
February in connection with the international conference on cluster bombs. The square outside the
Nobel Peace Centre in Oslo was filled with figures
symbolising the many civilian victims of cluster
bombs and mines, and showing how important
working for the protection of life and health on an
international basis is.
At national level, the issue was primarily put on
the map in connection with the state of readiness
over Easter. By means of its daily contact with all
the first aid and rescue groups, the Information
Switchboard in Tromsø undertook an informational
and motivational campaign towards members,
encouraging groups to think about the issue and to
consider different activities on a local basis.
Likewise, the protection of life and health was a
central issue during the safety at sea campaign,
otection of
le’s Aid chose Pr
Norwegian peop
actice as the
– solidarity in pr
Life and Health
issue was
for 2007. The
Issue of the Year
meetings of
us at the annual
given primary foc
least at the
d chapters, not
most regions an
nferences.
central activity co
New Board for Norwegian People’s Aid
The General Assembly of Norwegian People’s Aid in June elected a new Board for the period
2007-11. The board of Norwegian People’s Aid was chaired by Grete Faremo until 31.12.07
whereupon the then Secretary General, Finn Erik Thoresen, succeeded to the office. Kjersti E. R.
Jenssen from Norwegian People’s Aid, Oslo was elected First Vice Chairman and Atle Høie from
Fellesforbundet Second Vice Chairman.
jointly run with LO, on the ship Liberty. This year’s
voyage, focusing particularly on life saving, first
aid and safety in water, took place along the
eastern Norwegian coast. In almost all of Liberty’s
ports of call, NPA volunteers have participated
in profiling both the campaign and Norwegian
People’s Aid. A number of regions and local
chapters also specifically addressed the issue of
protection of life and health as part of their annual
meetings and conferences.
Helper of the Year
Norwegian People’s Aid Årdal were awarded
the distinction for their tremendous efforts in
the local community. The chapter, which has about 200 members, is deeply
engaged in the “Årdal Tenk Tryggleik” project, initiated by Norsk Hydro and subsequently taken
over by the municipal authorities. The purposes of the project are to prevent and reduce the
number of accidents at work, in school, at home and in leisure time; to improve well being and
environmental understanding within the municipality; and to undertake crime prevention work.
The prize, which was handed over by the Norwegian Minister of Justice, Knut Storberget, is a
sculpture by artist Nils Aas. The minister praised the chapter and the efforts put in by volunteers
in Norway. Head of the Preparedness Division of Norwegian People’s Aid Health and Rescue
Service, Erlend Aarsæther, presented a cheque for 25,000 kroner to be put towards the boat that
the chapter have wished for so long, Flowers and praise were also forthcoming from local mayor,
Arild Ingar Lægreid.
Norwegian People’s Aid Årdal are also committed to the municipal project, Politikamaratene.
This is a mandatory offer to all confirmees in the area, who may use school time with dogs
searching for drugs or learning about fire preparedness among other activities. Norwegian
People’s Aid also gives pupils training in first aid and life saving. The chapter, moreover, has its
own youth group, which is an active participant in creating fulfilling leisure time for local youth.
Norwegian People’s Aid Årdal arranges first aid courses and different training
exercises such as mountain rescue and avalanche work. The chapter marks ski
trails in the mountains and has created good local alliances with, for example,
Norwegian Search and Rescue Dogs and Årdal Tourist Association, cooperating
in mountain rescue and participating in avalanche prevention.
3
Volunteer work for all
In the parliamentary report, Volunteer work for all, the government clearly expresses the value of the work
undertaken on a voluntary basis in
Norway. The “Volunteer Report” proposes the implementation of important measures to ease day to day life
where voluntary work is concerned.
report also raises many
issues that are relevant to
Norwegian People’s Aid
work, such as democratisation and participation,
and the value of volunteer work to each individual who contributes.
Society may be viewed as a three-legged stool,
the legs consisting of voluntary organisations, private enterprise, and public welfare. All three are
needed for the stool to stand firm.
Our points of view
Norwegian People’s Aid submitted statements
within the consultative process and met with the
parliamentary committee to give an account of our
points of view. We are satisfied in that we have
got a government paper that deals with the whole
spectrum of voluntary work and takes a collective overview of the challenges we face. We are
particularly positive to the thought that the public
sector be better co-ordinated with the voluntary
sector.
Many fields – a need for co-ordination
The meeting points between volunteer work and
work for inclusion, poverty, student life, sports and
preparedness are important perspectives in the
parliamentary report. The government expresses
its desire to see a simplified, co-ordinated meeting point between voluntary organisations and
the Norwegian public sector. The
The Nor weg
ian Rescue
Service is a
collaboration
between volu
ntary rescue
organisations
and the publ
ic
and private se
ctors.
Health, preparedness
and preventive work
The paper, however, says too little about voluntary
organisations as a health resource. No mention is
made of the importance of the population learning
first aid or the value of medical preparedness,
such as that provided by Norwegian People’s Aid
Health and Rescue Service. Generally speaking,
preparedness organisations have many excellent
formulae but do not rise to meet the challenges
that face us in day to day life.
Norwegian People’s Aid is also of the general
opinion that it is difficult to obtain funds for preventive work. It is paradoxical that we, in oil-rich
Norway, do not invest more in accident prevention
or work targeting vulnerable groups within Norwegian Society.
Voluntary work on its own terms
By means of its report, the government clearly expresses that voluntary work has a role to
to
e important
exercises ar
uth
Training and
e have 20 yo
ople’s Aid. W
lth
ea
Nor wegian Pe
H
in NPA
are active with
orised
th
au
groups which
become an
Services. To
be
t
us
and Rescue
m
course
basic 30 hour
by
first aider, a
be added to
n
ca
ese skills
lised
ia
ec
completed. Th
sp
courses,
her training
means of furt
ercises.
d practical ex
seminars an
play in challenging the public sector, in developing
new initiatives and, not least, in finding new arenas
for creating social engagement. For this reason, the
government has no desire to implement measures
that would weaken the independence of voluntary organisations. The main objectives of the report are to:
• Ensure the independence and diversity of voluntary work
• Make it possible for everyone to be able to participate in voluntary work
• Ensure better conditions for local voluntary activity
• Increase awareness and attention of the role of
voluntary work and its importance to society
• Co-ordinate and continuously develop policy in
regard of voluntary work
Appell
The Norwegian People’s Aid magazine,
Appell, was issued quarterly during 2007.
The topics were:
1. The situation in Palestine: Crushed hope
– crushed lives
2. Ten years of the mine ban treaty: The
battle against cluster bombs has begun
3. The Artist Gala 2007
4. Youth – better than their reputation
In addition, both an information booklet about
NORAD projects and a net based guide
to international work were produced. The
number of visits to the Norwegian People’s
Aid website is steadily increasing.
Refugee reception centres
The running of Husebyparken, Kongsvinger, Vardåsen and Veumalléen
refugee reception centres continued
throughout 2007, while our service at
Løren Refugee Transit Centre, which
we had been running since its opening
in 1999, came to a close.
On 29th February 2008, we assumed the running of Tanum Refugee Transit Centre and were
thus, at the turn of the year, running five refugee
reception centres in Norway. Secretary General,
Petter Eide, was present at the ceremony which
marked the beginning of operations for Norwegian
People’s Aid at the centre. He underlined how
refugee reception centres are a natural part of
both globalisation and NPA’s solidarity work.
– Our employees at refugee reception centres
give us a unique approach to understanding the
challenges the world faces, said Eide. Continuing, he commented that the refugee reception
centres should be an integral part of Norwegian
People’s Aid, providing information which
makes it possible for the organisation to be
a critical voice in the public debate about the
conditions under which asylum seekers live in
Norway.
The guardian project
Since 2002, Norwegian People’s Aid has
been engaged in training guardians for
unaccompanied minor asylum seekers. We have
worked towards an understanding of the guardian’s
role and tasks, developed methods and material for
recruitment, training and follow-up of guardians, and
produced a model for how guardian work can be carried out on a nationwide basis. The work of guardians
remains a neglected area, and Norway has been
repeatedly criticised by the UN Committee on the
Rights of the Child. Norwegian People’s Aid continues to work the earliest possible implementation of
arrangements which ensure competent guardians for
unaccompanied minor asylum seekers.
The guardian project is an example of how
experience gained by Norwegian People’s Aid in
refugee reception centres may be used to expose
weaknesses and identify development opportunities in work with refugees and asylum seekers. Guardian work with unaccompanied minor
asylum seekers has been, and remains, marked
by great variation; this concerns understanding
the role itself and the work undertaken both by the
public guardians office and each individual guardian. Lack of training remains a central concern.
Combating racism
Norwegian People’s Aid activities to combat racism and challenge attitudes took many forms
in 2007: Racism Free Zone, Show Racism the Red Card, The Human Library, Diversity and
Dialogue (DAD) and Immigrant Women Can Do It courses. A new project, With Sport against
Gay and Lesbian Abuse, a collaboration between the Norwegian Sports Federation and the
Norwegian National Association for Lesbian and Gay Liberation, was set in motion under
the administration of Norwegian People’s Aid. The administrative duties were subsequently
transferred to the Norwegian Sports Federation in 2008.
The course of 2007 witnessed the strengthening of cooperation with Fagforbundet
(The Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees) in terms of anti-racist
and attitude challenging work: Racism Free Zone, DAD courses, the Human Library,
Immigrant Women Can Do It and People’s Friend initiatives are all to contribute to
Fagforbundet’s work in being the “Union of Good Attitudes”.
The project Diversity and Voluntary Work resulted in 100 old and new volunteers running activities
both inside and outside refugee reception centres.
A handbook based on these experiences was
produced and, using funds from Health and Rehabilitation, both the project and this material will be
developed further in 2008 and 2009.
Preventive
Health Work
The development project, “Preventive health
work in refugee reception centres”, conducted by
the Psycho-social Resource Centre in collaboration with Norwegian People’s Aid at Kongsvinger,
Vardåsen and, previously, at Birkelid Reception
Centres, continued in its twin objectives: to create
a good model at reception level for the identification and prevention of psychological suffering
in the target group; and to increase the skills
base in this area within Norwegian People’s Aid.
Throughout the entire project period, psychological/clinical services have been made available to
residents of the participating reception centres,
and there has been an ongoing collaboration with
both the municipal health services and specialist
health services in the municipalities concerned.
5
Norwegian People’s Aid Youth – tough, bold and different
Mari Holan, elected as leader for
Norwegian People’s Aid Youth
(NPAY) in 2007, does not need
to be asked twice about what she
wants to do over the next four years. She wants to profile the organisation; wants everyone to know just
how bold, tough and different NPA is
compared to other organisations.
For Mari, there are two things in particular about
Norwegian People’s Aid that make her glow
about the work and the organisation: Here there’s
an ocean of opportunities to do something that
means something and you’re allowed to have
your own opinions.
– That NPA stands by particular points of view
actually makes it easier to get people involved.
That’s my experience, she says.
Norwegian People’s Aid has 4,000 members
between the ages of 13 and 30 who come under
the banner of NPA Youth. Most youth groups
belong to ordinary chapters, although they have
their own meetings and activities.
Mari Holan leads the central youth committee,
which consists of representatives from the
organisation’s six regions plus the leader and two
deputies. The regions also have their own youth
committees.
Active students
In March 2007, a new student group got under
way at the University of Oslo. 22 interested
students turned up expressing a desire to get
involved in refugee issues, anti-racism and
international affairs.
Renate Viken was one of the group. – It’s great
to be part of forming a completely new group, she
says. Renate was previously an active volunteer
at Løren Refugee Reception Centre, which was
NPA-run for several years. Norwegian People’s
Aid, Oslo wishes the new group welcome. The
chapter celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2007,
and the student group is a positive contribution to
showing the organisation’s attitudes to just such
issues as racism and xenophobia.
NPA Youth has also acquired a new student
branch in Trondheim, established in autumn
2007 at the Norwegian University of Science and
Technology.
Mari Holan finds it natural for students to be a
part of NPA’s active membership.
Active youth organisation
2007 was a year marked by a great many activities and a high level of engagement throughout the
country. This is the way we like it, and the tempo is to be kept up in 2008.
A new initiative this year was the Regional Youth Committees’ meeting in Asker. The meeting
gave representatives from local, regional and central levels the opportunity to meet and discuss
solutions to the challenges in binding these levels together. There is a strong need for youth to
meet between local chapters, and we must try to make this possible. If there is to be a sense of
community and unity within NPA Youth, we have to meet and get to know each other, and learn
from one another. We have been working on this during 2007, and we will not be giving
it up easily.
6
– Students are traditionally active and socially
aware. In NPA we have activities which are
suitable for most people. It’s good for sedentary
students to get out to the mountains, take part
in searches, provide first aid, go climbing and
driving snow scooters. They need some proper
action. There are also things available to people
who want to work with poverty issues at home or
abroad or get involved with good, oldfashioned
solidarity work.
Principles and value basis
The new NPA Action Plan for 2007-11 contains the following paragraphs concerning NPA Youth:
Norwegian People’s Aid prioritises the work of recruiting youth and giving room to them throughout
the organisation. We recruit young people from all parts of society, irrespective of ethnic or social
background. Youth is to be given the opportunity to participate in the activities and arrangements
of the entire organisation. Norwegian People’s Aid shall contribute to creating good, safe meeting
places for youth in a drug free, social environment.
Young people are often more curious and radical than adults and have a greater desire for
change. NPA Youth is free to stand by its own points of view as long as they do not conflict with
NPA’s value basis and statutes.
NPA Youth is an open, inclusive part of Norwegian People’s Aid, visible in society and challenging
young people to get involved. Its work with outdoor activities and rescue, international solidarity and
in challenging attitudes, is based on the organisation’s vision of Solidarity in Action. The Human
Library, first aid courses, Red Card and exchanges with youth in Palestine, North West Russia and
South Africa are examples of its activities.
NPA Youth will continue its work in both domestic and international networks and fora. Here, youth
has the opportunity to show solidarity in practice, increase its levels of knowledge and contribute to
social development.
Oil – a blessing or a curse?
In many countries where Norwegian People’s Aid is active and has
partners, oil and gas deposits are
neither under democratic control
nor used to promote the common good. On the contrary, many
countries are affected by oil and
gas resources being more akin to
a curse, with corruption, misrule,
conflict, economic difficulties and
environmental destruction as direct
consequences.
In November 2007, Norwegian People’s Aid, LO
and the Norwegian Union of Industry and Energy
Workers arranged a conference “How to make Oil
a Blessing – not a Curse” in Stavanger. Partners
from African and Latin American countries were
invited to attend in order to learn, discuss and
make plans concerning ways in which oil and
gas resources might become a positive benefit to
society.
The 35 international delegates were the central
participants of the 60 or so who attended the
conference, which was officially opened by the
Oil for
development
Of those countries encompassed by the Oil
for Development Programme, Norwegian
People’s Aid is engaged in the following:
Angola
Bolivia
Sudan
Ecuador
Tanzania
Cambodia
Mozambique
then NPA Secretary General, Finn Erik Thoresen.
The opening address was held by Torbjørn Urfjell,
political advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Over the two conference days, a host of presentations, workshops and plenary discussions were
undertaken. The international partners presented
their experiences, anxieties and involvement visà-vis the oil and gas sector. A number of Norwegian speakers introduced various perspectives from
the Norwegian oil story and differing experiences
of the role of the oil sector in Norwegian society.
Oil for development
The Oil for Development Programme has been a
tremendously important area of investment for the
Norwegian administration’s development policy
over the last year. For Norwegian People’s Aid,
the conference in Stavanger was
just one link in the chain towards
complementing and influencing
this development area, but a
number of perspectives, which
we regard as important, are still
insufficiently taken care of by the
administration’s programme. Norwegian People’s Aid does not think
it enough simply to attempt to build
functioning, bureaucratic administrative institutions; NPA believes that
participation and pressure from civil
society organisations, trades unions
and local communities are necessary
to create a democratic foundation for
the extraction of oil and gas, and so
that the population’s needs are taken
care of.
It was for precisely this reason that
a number of NPA partner organisations
were invited to Stavanger. Organisa-
tions from countries where the oil industry is still
in the starting blocks were able to learn and get
useful suggestions from participants with more,
often expensively purchased experience in the
field. At the same time, the conference was an
important arena for network building between
countries and different organisational forms. Possibilities of effective interplay between LO’s trade
union partners and NPA’s civil society partners in
southern countries emerged as a particularly interesting issue during the conference.
Delegates also presented some clear recommendations to the Development for Oil Programme. On the one hand it is important that civil
society is taken on board so that democratic processes can give a voice to the people;
on the
other, Norway
must ensure that its own
house is in order, that Norwegian companies do not operate with poorer standards in the
South than they do in Norway.
Norwegian People’s Aid, in collaboration with its
partners, will monitor Norwegian companies’ activities in the South. At the same time, NPA is particularly concerned with strengthening its partner
organisations and their opportunities to engage
with the oil sector in their respective countries.
The Stavanger conference was an important
beginning to this work.
7
Ten years of landmine prohibition
The tenth anniversary of the international treaty prohibiting the production, sale, transport and use of
land mines was celebrated in Oslo in
September 2007 by a large group
of people from around the world.
Alongside the official programme to celebrate the
tenth anniversary of the international agreement
against land mines on the 18th of September,
Norwegian People’s Aid, with support from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, marked the occasion
with a large arrangement in central Oslo. A 130
sq.m tent exhibited land mines, cluster munitions,
clearance equipment, posters and photographs;
outside it, the public were treated to a spectacular
exhibition of the work of photographer Werner
Anderson. The Norwegian
Armed Forces had also lent us an 18-ton mine
clearance machine.
Part of the occasion was also dedicated
to demonstrating mine clearance. One of the
mine dogs from the Norwegian People’s Aid
Global Training Centre for dogs in Bosnia and
Herzegovina was put through its paces and two
mine clearance workers demonstrated manual
techniques. Ten tons of sand provided an artificial
mine field, parts of which the public were able to
enter. Treading on any of the six dummy mines
resulted in a loud report and those doing so, if
they wished, were subsequently able to walk
around wearing a prosthesis to get some kind
of an idea of what it must be like to lose a leg.
NPA Health and Rescue Service participated
with ‘injury make-up’, making everything look
as realistic as possible. The occasion achieved
broad media coverage.
60 countries
Almost 60 countries of the world have various
degrees of mine problems. Often a country
will appear on the list owing to a mine problem
along its borders. These areas are often easier
to control, however, because they are known
to be risky and people therefore keep away.
Countries which have had long term conflict,
such as those in Africa fighting for independence,
are those which are most seriously affected.
Afghanistan and Cambodia also have extensive
problems while Latin America is one area where
considerably better control has been achieved.
A great deal has been achieved since the Mine
Ban Treaty was signed in 1997. The agreement
stigmatised this type of weapon so much that there
is no longer a market for anti-personnel mines.
Even non-governmental activists and guerrilla
groups have now refrained from using them.
8
in Sri Lanka.
nce workers
ra
ea
cl
e
in
m
Female
Mine clearance
in Jordan.
Norwegian
People’s Aid is
doubly engaged
in the work
against mines
and cluster
munitions, both
as an active
mine clearance
organisation
and as a
political player.
Mine clearance toolbox
Ten years after the mine ban treaty, the world is
still waiting for a revolution in mine clearance.
Despite efforts involving everything from radar
systems to gene modification of plant material,
no new discoveries have been made to make the
job more effective. Mine detectors, mine sticks
and sniffer dogs are still the most effective ways
of detecting mines. Norwegian People’s Aid has
developed a toolbox for use in the battle against
mines. This includes machines, men and women
who undertake manual clearance, as well as mine
dogs.
Often what is most difficult is finding out where
to start clearing. The mine problem is often
difficult to define because it is the fear of mines
which makes an area unusable. Maybe an area
lies unused by the local population because of
a mine accident; there often turns out to be just
one mine in such an area and that has already
exploded when mine clearance is put into action.
Since mine clearance is so costly,
time consuming and demanding in terms of
safety, it is essential that prior analyses ensure
that teams are not dispatched to search through
empty areas. Norwegian People’s Aid believes
there will be greater cooperation in the future
with local authorities where mine clearance
is concerned. NPA will encourage national
administrations to show the strength and will to
solve problems themselves. This will result in
fewer programmes such as that currently in Sri
Lanka, where between 500-600 NPA personnel
are involved.
Cluster munitions
As with land mines, cluster bombing
is a means and a method which
leads to unacceptable suffering for
civilians. Cluster bombs affect wide
areas and are difficult to limit and
aim, often landing in places that
were not intended. Many are left
lying on the ground and function, in
practice, as land mines.
Norwegian People’s Aid stands at the forefront of
the Cluster Munitions Coalition (CMC), a network
of over 250 organisations worldwide which has
been working for an international ban on cluster
munitions since 2003.
In February 2007, Norway, in the form of
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jonas Gahr
Støre, launched an international process to
ban cluster munitions. At the first meeting,
in Oslo, 46 countries committed themselves,
alongside Norway,
to negotiate a ban before the end of 2008.
Conferences were thereafter held in Peru and
Austria, as well as regionally, and a specific
conference for affected countries was arranged in
Beograd in September.
Worse than mines
If the world’s enormous stockpiles of cluster
munitions were to be used in conflict, it would
lead to an humanitarian catastrophe. The US
has almost one billion cluster bombs stockpiled,
China and Russia probably the same. Nearly all
are of the type which are so problematic with their
high failure ratios. If all these were to be used, it
would result in greater amounts of unexploded
ordnance than the number of mines when the
mine ban came into force. A cluster munitions
ban could therefore turn out to be even more
important than the ban on mines.
– Cluster bom
bing is a mea
ns
and a metho
d, so to spea
k,
which invaria
bly leads to
unacceptable
suffering in
the civilian po
pulation, says
Nor wegian Pe
ople’s Aid
advisor, Gret
he Østern.
In February, Norwegian
People’s Aid also launched a
report concerning NATO’s use
of cluster munitions in Serbia
in 1999. The report shows
that cluster bombs from that
time continue to take lives
and that it is civilians who are
worst affected. “Yellow Killers” was written
by Jelena Vicentic from Norwegian People’s Aid
Serbia, and her work has lead to the creation of a
network for cluster bomb victims in that country.
This group visibly and effectively lobbied the
conference for affected countries in Beograd, in
October, and subsequently formed the core of a
world wide network of cluster bomb victims, which
has since continued its lobbyist activities in the
Oslo Process.
bomb
The first NPA
were
s
disposal team
in
e
swiftly in plac
n to
no
ba
Le
h
ut
So
some of
help remove
or so
the one million
left on
cluster bombs
r the
te
the ground af
2006
er
war of summ
n
ia
vil
before the ci
them.
ds
population fin
me
so
ill
There are st
r
te
850,000 clus
aiting
munitions aw
clearance.
Cluster Munitions Report
In December, Norwegian people’s Aid
presented a new report confirming the rectitude
of the Norwegian government’s decision in
2006 to introduce a moratorium on Norwegian
stocks of cluster bombs. M85 – An analysis
of Reliability was launched in collaboration
with the Norwegian Defence Research
Establishment and British explosives clearance
expert Colin King during the Vienna Conference
on cluster munitions. The conference brought
together 133 states to discuss ways to arrive at
a ban before the end of 2008.
Some of the countries in the Oslo Process
argued that sub-munitions with self destruct
mechanisms did not cause unacceptable
humanitarian consequences and that they
should not therefore be banned. The Israeliproduced sub-munition M85, stockpiles of
which were retained by Norway, Finland
and the UK, among others, became a symbol
for this approach because it demonstrated
the best available technology for self destruct
mechanisms. It is also the only sub-munition with
a self-destruct mechanism to have been used in
conflict – by the UK in Iraq in 2003, and by Israel
in the Lebanon in 2006.
The Israeli manufacturer claimed the failure
rate of M85 to be under one per cent. Norwegian
tests also showed a failure rate of around one per
cent for this weapon. The Norwegian People’s Aid
report, however, showed the failure rate for M85
in the Lebanon to be around 10 per cent. The
report underlined that the example of M85 in all
probability illustrates the considerable difference
between tests and reality, and set the agenda for
further discussions in the Oslo Process.
Successful
negotiations
At the end of May 2008, after long negotiations
in Dublin, 107 countries agreed upon a ban
against cluster munitions. The agreement is to
be signed in Oslo in December 2008.
9
Joint action for Palestine
LO and Norwegian people’s Aid began a joint action for the people of
Palestine in September 2006. The
collaboration was originally intended
to last to New Year but was extended, culminating in a 1st of May
parade in 2007.
The collaboration brought in over one million
NOK for work in Palestine, a sum which was
equally divided between NPA and LO.
The situation in Palestine ahs not improved
during 2007. Author and journalist, Amira
Hass, writes in her article The Experiment is a
success – the Palestinians are killing each other,
published 4th October 2006 in Israeli newspaper
Ha’aretz:
They are behaving as expected at the end of
the extended experiment called ”what happens
when you imprison 1.3 million human beings in
an enclosed space like battery hens.
These are the steps in the experiment:
Imprison (since 1991); remove the prisoners’
usual means of livelihood; seal off all outlets to
the outside world, nearly hermetically; destroy
existing means of livelihood by preventing the
entry of raw materials and the marketing of
goods and produce; prevent the regular entry of
medicines and hospital supplies; do not bring in
fresh food for weeks on end; prevent, for years,
the entry of relatives, professionals, friends and
others, and allow thousands of people - the sick,
heads of families, professionals, children - to be
stuck for weeks at the locked gates of the Gaza
Strip’s only entry/exit.
Steal hundreds of millions of dollars (customs
and tax revenues collected by Israel that belong
to the Palestinian treasury), so as to force the
nonpayment of the already low salaries of most
government employees for months; present
the firing of homemade Qassam rockets as a
strategic threat that can only be stopped by
harming women, children and the old; fire on
crowded residential neighborhoods from the air
and the ground; destroy orchards, groves and
fields.
Dispatch planes to frighten the population with
sonic booms; destroy the new power plant and
force the residents of the closed-off Strip to live
without electricity for most of the day for a period
The Artists’ Gala
The Artists’ Gala, TV2’s humanitarian fund raiser in September 2007 was devoted to the work of
Norwegian People’s Aid. The programme, which was sent live from Drammen Theatre with a host
of international artists and reports from our projects, had a particular focus on mine clearance work.
During the spring, five ambassadors travelled abroad to become more familiar with NPA work.
Ane Dahl Torp and Ane Brun visited the Norwegian People’s Aid Global Training Centre for dogs
in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Erik Thorstvedt met mine victims in the Lebanon, Minken Fosheim,
met female mine clearance personnel in South Sudan and Solveig Kloppen visited villages in
Cambodia. Prior to the Artists’ Gala, a new donor arrangement was put into place – folkehjelper.no
– and, during the gala, 3000 new regular donors to NPA work were enrolled.
10
The jont actio
n for Palestin
e culminated
1st of May 20
with parades
07.
and fund rais
ing across th
e country on
the
of four months, which will most likely turn
into a full year - in other words, a year without
refrigeration, electric fans, television, lights to
study and read by; force them to get by without
a regular supply of water, which is dependent on
the electricity supply.
It is the good old Israeli experiment called
”put them into a pressure cooker and see what
happens,” and this is one of the reasons why this
is not an internal Palestinian matter.
The success of the experiment can be seen in
the miasma of desperation that hangs over the
Gaza Strip, and in the clan feuding that erupts
almost daily there, even more than in the battles
between Fatah and Hamas militants. One can
only wonder that the feuding
is not more frequent, and that some bonds of
internal solidarity have been maintained, which
saves people from hunger.
Women Can Do It
– It’s amazing how much has happened in so short a time! No-one would
have believed it when we started six
years ago.
150 women from 26 countries came together
in Beograd 16th to 18th November to sum up
six years of the Women Can Do It programme.
The purpose of the courses is to give women
the self-confidence and organisational training
necessary to participate in political life. So far,
around 25,000 women from over 30 countries
in Europe, the Middle East and Africa have
taken part in Women Can Do It courses.
1200 women have received training for course leadership and more and more countries
are asking after the courses.
The Labour Party Women’s Network and
Norwegian People’s Aid initiated the Women Can Do It collaboration in 2001. The
collaboration also embraces local organiFatima A. Mad
ar got a job in
sations in 19 countries, all of which have
an IT company
after taking pa
helped shape the programme.
rt in Norway’s
first Immigra
nt Women Ca
– It is important not to present Norway as a country
closing address
n Do It course
.
with perfect sexual equality, emphasises Anniken
to the conference. He recalled how
Huitfeldt, Akershus’ parliamentary representative
women got full wind under their sails during the
that do us good! I am proud of you; you
and leader of the Labour Party Women’s Network,
1980s in the Norwegian Graphical Union, of which are the leaders of the future. Norwegian People’s
in her address during the conference. – Far too few
he was then leader. – The women gave us men a
Aid will continue to put its efforts into the Women
women participate in politics in Norway; Norway also
robust challenge, setting question marks against
Can Do It programme in the years to come, proexperiences abuse of women. It is important to comall our customary conceptions. Goodness, didn’t
mised Thoresen.
municate this to people from other countries who
think Norway has solved all the problems.
– We have now discussed what we can do to
support our sisters living under occupation and
The Women Can Do It programme was introduced to South Africa in 2003 and renewed in 2007.
in situations of conflict. We should acknowledge
The programme combines organisational and political training and helps give women increased
that we are extremely privileged to be able
self-confidence, awareness of their own strength and motivation to concrete action and activity.
to come here and discuss strategy for
The programme is conducted in cooperation with the Labour Party Women’s Network and is based
three whole days, said Helena Zefaon the Women Can Do It course manual. The Women Can Do It programme is now conducted in
nias Lowe, to resounding applause.
over 20 countries where Norwegian People’s Aid has a presence.
Lowe works for Norwegian People’s
The target groups are first and foremost women who are engaged in political work, unions,
Aid in Angola.
voluntary organisations, media, students and women in public positions. Special focus is put on
Then Secretary General, Finn
young women. The purpose is to strengthen women’s position in society and to motivate women to
Erik Thoresen, gave the
participation in political work and public debate.
Women’s right to participation
Nor wegian
as Lowe from
Helena Zefani
nference in
co
talking to the
d
Ai
’s
le
op
Pe
Beograd.
11
Indigenous women’s meeting
Just a few months ago, an historic
meeting took place in a Wayuyu village in the Mayabangloma region of
north Colombia. For the very first
time, indigenous women from all
over Latin America met to discuss
indigenous women’s needs and violence against women.
The Wayuyu people were the conference hosts
and all the 80 participants lodged in the local community. In this way, the ‘conference feeling’ that a
hotel gives was avoided and, at the same time, all
the local inhabitants were able to participate in the
arrangement. This was such an important event
for the Wayuyu people that local schools closed
to enable children to participate. It was a large,
festive occasion for the hosts who had
been preparing for the visit for the previous two
weeks. They built a great roof over a large open
space, something which helps a great deal in the
hot, humid climate. They served food, and everyone stayed in local rooms and houses, sleeping
in hammocks. This informal framework provided a
wonderful atmosphere for the whole arrangement.
The meeting lasted four days and contained
presentations of all the indigenous groups that
were represented, accounts of their own experiences of the role of leaders and group work on
diverse issues such as violence in the home,
state violence, equality in organisational life and
women’s rights in international agreements.
The meeting ended with a political declaration
which acknowledged violence and inequality as
problems which affect women, that indigenous
ilt an
The hosts bu
of over
enormous ro
e,
an open spac
t
ns
ai
ag
g
in
lp
he
idity.
heat and hum
12
women need their own space
to meet, discuss and exchange experiences, and that
this was the beginning of a
network that had to continue.
The declaration urged the
authorities of the countries
concerned to take action in
relation to this situation and
encouraged the UN to increase their efforts beyond
the current level.
Extreme violence
– The whole thing kicked
off with an e-mail from the
Head of Foreign Affairs at The occasion was so impo
rtant for the
closed during
Wayuyu peop
Norwegian People’s Aid,
the conferen
le that school
ce, allowing
s
ch
ildren to take
says Cristina Santacruz,
part.
who is an NPA programme coordinator
in Ecuador. The email said that it might be possible
meeting. We gradually took a few paces
to secure funding from the Norwegian Ministry of
back so that the participants were able to feel
Foreign Affairs for projects concerned with violence
‘ownership’ of the arrangement. It was almost as
against women. – We immediately thought of our
if we had dropped a small ball in their half of the
partners in Colombia, ONIC – the Colombian Natio- pitch and then watched it expand, recalls Cristina.
nal Organisation for Indigenous Women.
As well as the participants from Ecuador
– Women in Colombian villages experience
and Bolivia, women from Mexico, Nicaragua,
an extreme degree of violence both inside and
Guatemala, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Argentina
outside the home. Women’s bodies have become
also arrived to take part. The next goal is to
a weapon of war. Men are killed and women are
arrange a women’s summit in connection with the
raped, Cristina confirms. Women live under concontinental summit for indigenous peoples of the
stant pressure and threats from different groups
Americas, which is due to take place in Chile in
– the authorities, armed bands and drugs barons.
2009. The women’s summit will take place two
– Alongside an Ecuadorian partner organisadays before the main summit. Working parties
tion, Ewaru Nari, we met in Bogota to discuss
have already been formed for the different issues
what could be done. Thus the idea of arranging
to be raised, issues such as violence against
a meeting for indigenous women from the whole
women, sexual equality, and training and skills
of Latin America emerged. It was very exciting to
enhancement within organisational work.
witness the development during the course of the
ANNUAL REPORT 2007
Norwegian People’s Aid is the Norwegian People’s Aid is the Norwegian trade unions’ humanitarian organisation for solidarity. Solidarity and human dignity are our
fundamental values. We work both nationally and internationally to improve living conditions for vulnerable groups and to contribute to a more just society.
The organisation
Norwegian People’s Aid is a member organisation, active in four key areas: youth activity, health,
rescue and preparedness, socially targeted work
and international involvement. A large amount of our
activity is based on the voluntary efforts of members.
At the turn of the year, Norwegian People’s Aid
had 11,161 members, divided into 98 chapters.
This is a slight reduction on the previous year.
3,455 members were under 30 years old. Through
affiliated LO associations, Norwegian People’s Aid
has around 850,000 collective members.
Norwegian People’s Aid is an active organisation and the tendency of recent years towards
increased recruitment and activity among
members under 30 years old is continuing.
The head office of Norwegian People’s Aid is
situated in Oslo, and our six regional offices are
located as follows: Northern Region in Tromsø,
Central Norwegian Region in Trondheim, Eastern
Region in Hunndalen, South Eastern Region in
Tønsberg, South Western Region in Stavanger and
Western Region in Bergen. We also maintain staff
at refugee reception centres. Abroad, Norwegian
People’s Aid has local or regional offices in 13
countries and projects in 36 countries.
million, compared with NOK 9.895 million in 2006.
2.3 million of the operating result is covered by
consumption of previously collected funds, the
remaining 3.6 million by distributable reserves.
Result for 2007
The Board confirms that the prerequisites for
continued operations are present and that these
form the basis for compiling the accounts for the
period. Reference is made to information provided
on equity and revenues.
Available funds in 2007 totalled NOK 729
million, compared with NOK 752 million in 2006.
The operating result for 2007 is NOK 5.989
Activity in 2007
Our income
We have worked to strengthen collaboration with
our largest and most important donors.
LO and the trade unions, their local branches
and associations contributed NOK 5.6 million
to Norwegian People’s Aid in 2007. Of this
amount, NOK 3 million is the fee for LO members’
collective membership.
Lotteries and games brought in NOK 25 million
in 2007, a gross reduction of NOK 15 million on
the 2006 figure. Income from slot machines was
drastically reduced after Norsk Tipping was granted
sole operating rights. The National Lottery is under
pressure as a result of ever increasing numbers
reserving themselves against telephone sales.
Norwegian People’s Aid developed a new, regular
donor concept in 2007, called folkehjelper.no, which
is expected to show significant results in 2008.
Participation in TV2’ Artists’ Gala in September led
to the recruitment of 3,000 new regular donors to the
organisation’s work.
In Norway
Norwegian People’s Aid is an organisation governed
by its members and based on their voluntary
efforts. Central tasks for our volunteers are first
aid, rescue, preparedness and accident prevention
work throughout the country. Many of our members
in local chapters are concerned with taking social
responsibility in the areas where they live, and they
thus represent an important contribution over and
above the responsibilities of the public sector. It
is a source of pleasure that young people within
Norwegian People’s Aid have shown such enormous
involvement in our international work for solidarity.
Throughout the year, Norwegian People’s Aid has
been running five national refugee reception centres
on commission from the Directorate of Immigration.
Anti-racist work continues to be a key area of activity
for our work in Norway. The Show Racism the Red
Card, Racism Free Zone and Human Library projects
have reached a great many people through their
networks. Refugee work and attitude creation work
previously came under the social unit at head office.
This unit was dissolved in 2007 and its responsibilities
divided. Work with reception centres and asylum
seekers was transferred to the Administration Department, while refugee policy and attitude creation work
was transferred to the Communication Department.
Work on behalf of women from minority backgrounds
and Immigrant Women Can Do It courses continued
and were developed further in 2007.
International work
Norwegian People’s Aid has developed its international cooperative work along three main lines:
• Support to liberation movements and other
groups fighting for political and civil rights
• Support to local popular organisations in their
struggle against poverty and for human rights
and redistribution
• Mine clearance and political work to prohibit all
production, storage, sale and use of land mines
and cluster munitions.
In 2007, Norwegian People’s Aid worked within
the framework of the cooperation agreement
with Norad for the period 2004-07. In addition,
2007 saw the execution of a whole range of
other programmes with financial support from
Norwegian and foreign donors, programmes
which contribute to building the foundations of
peace, democracy and development in the 36
countries where Norwegian People’s Aid is active.
In South Sudan we are well on the way to
changing our programme from emergency relief
to reconstruction and development, and work to
extend the programme nationally is on course.
Serious problems with mines, food supplies and
health affect the whole country and national
capacity and competence is seriously lacking. This
creates enormous challenges in terms of both the
peace agreement and the building up of the nation.
In September 2007, a large group of people
assembled from around the world to commemorate
the tenth anniversary of the international convention which prohibits the production, storage, sale
and use of land mines. The Norwegian government
and Norwegian civil society, in the form of the
Forum for Development and Cooperation in
partnership with Norwegian People’s Aid and other
members’ organisations, hosted the gathering.
Work to achieve an international ban on
cluster munitions was stepped up in 2007. The
first international conference took place in Oslo
in February, 2007, starting what swiftly became
known as the Oslo Process. 46 countries
committed themselves to negotiating a ban
against cluster munitions by the end of 2008.
Norwegian People’s Aid has been a key player in
this work from the beginning and our efforts will
be intensified further during 2008.
13
In collaboration with LO and Norwegian Union
of Industry and Energy Workers, Norwegian
People’s Aid organised a conference in
November 2007 concerned with the issue Oil for
Development.
We also entered a new agreement with Norad
to be in force from 2008.
Administration
Where administration is concerned, the Board
continued to emphasise the further development
of governance and report systems in 2007. In
order to ensure the correct use of funds, a great
deal of time and resources have been put into the
development and systemisation of administrative
routines, which are available on a joint, global
platform (MS Sharepoint). The focus on internal
control and internal accounting was also intensified
in 2007 and we have, among other measures,
undertaken internal accounting reviews in two
national programmes (in Sri Lanka and Sudan).
A key issue in the work with internal control
has been a sharper focus on anti-corruption
measures. In this context, Norwegian People’s Aid
has initiated work upon an anti-corruption policy,
accompanied by associated procedures and
guidelines. This work will be completed in 2008.
The Board: Composition and work
Norwegian People’s Aid held its National Assembly
in June 2007, in Sandefjord. The Assembly passed
a new Action Plan and elected a new board for the
period 2007–2011. Acting Secretary General Finn
Erik Thoresen was elected Chairman of the Board,
assuming the post on 01.01.2008, when Petter
Eide took over as the new Secretary General. The
previous Chairman, Grete Faremo, continued in the
position until the end of 2007.
14
The new Board consists of:
• Chairman
• 1st and 2nd Vice Chairman
• One representative from each of the six regions with two personal deputies
• The leaders of each of the four central committees with two personal
deputies
• Two representatives elected by and among NPA employees, with personal
deputies.
The Board until 23.06.07
Chairman
Grete Faremo
2nd Vice Ch.
Espen Brekke
Northern Region
Central Norw. R.
Western Region
South Western R.
South Eastern R.
Eastern Region
Gry Brækmo Johansen
Edel Danielsen
Samba Njie
Martha Rondestvedt
Ole Marius Vollen
Kjersti E.R. Jenssen
Norwegian Union of Industry
and Energy Workers
Sonja Meek
Norwegian Civil Service Union Turid Lilleheie
Norwegian United Federation
of Trade Unions
Atle Høie
Norwegian Food and
Allied Workers’ Union
Helge Egeland
Employees’ Rep.
NPA Youth
NPA Health/Rescue
NPA Society
NPA International
Tord Lier
Trine Høistad
Ørjan N. Karlsson
Tove Rønning
Torulf Mikkelsen
The Board from 24.06.07
Chairman
Grete Faremo until 31.12.07
1st Vice Ch.
Kjersti E.R. Jenssen
2nd Vice Ch.
Atle Høie
Northern Region
Central Norw. R.
Western Region
South Western R.
South Eastern R.
Eastern Region
Stig Ole Pedersen
Arne Hauan
Anne Kari Knutsen
Edvard Tungland
Harald R. Larsen
Elin Skovly
Norwegian Union of Industry
and Energy Workers
Norwegian Union of
Railway Workers
The Electrician and IT
Workers’ Union
Norwegion Union of
Municipal and General
Employees
Anne Grethe Skårdal
Employees’ Rep.
Employees’ Rep.
NPA Youth
NPA Health/Rescue
NPA Society
NPA International
Tord Lier
Ivar Aamodt
Mari Størvold Holan
Anne Mette Johnsen
Tove Rønning
Torulf Mikkelsen
Sonja Meek
Arne Drabløs
Terje O. Olsson
The Board met seven times in the course of 2007 – three times prior to
the General Assembly, and four times afterwards. The Financial Control
Committee met four times during the course of the year.
Personell, health, safety
and environment
At the end of 2007, Norwegian People’s Aid had 94
employees at Head Office in Oslo, 25 at refugee
reception centres, 57 on contract abroad and 2,664
locally employed workers on foreign projects.
At Head Office, Norwegian People’s Aid management has close collaboration with employee representatives through separate committees such as
the Committee for Cooperation and the Committee
for Health, Safety and the Environment.
The working environment is regarded as satisfactory. Absence owing to illness was at 2.7 %
for the period as opposed to 2.54 % the previous
year. The figure was higher for women (3.9 %)
than for men (1.2 %). There were no injuries of
any note or accidents reported during the period.
Protective inspection rounds were undertaken
at Head Office and at the regional offices.
The frameworks for international local personnel
policy and the NF Standard were adopted.
The figures for self-notified and professionally
certified leaves of absence owing to illness are
constantly updated and reported.
Equality
Head Office employs 58 % women and 42 % men.
The percentages for men and women at top and
middle management level are approximately equal.
47 % of full members of the board are women. Salaries and working conditions are considered to be
equally well arranged for both sexes.
Norwegian People’s Aid recruitment policy
intends towards positive discrimination. Persons
of immigrant background and women are encouraged to apply for vacant positions. A moderate quota system is practised at all levels and in
all areas of activity.
External environment
Norwegian People’s Aid activities have only a marginal negative influence on the external environment
in Norway. In collaboration with our partners, we
maintain a sharp focus on environmental, as well as
social and financial, sustainability in our development
work. Norwegian People’s Aid engages in awareness
raising about this issue in all our projects.
Future prospects
The General Assembly resolved that the Board appoint an organisational committee; this has been
done and the committee has commenced work.
Norwegian People’s Aid must be a forward-looking
organisation and the General Assembly called upon
the organisational committee (through the Board)
to ensure that discursive fora be set up in order to
arrive at a sounder basis for undertaking necessary
adjustments to the organisation’s work. It was also an
expressed wish on behalf of the Board that the organisation be more unified than it is currently.
The financial situation is difficult. For this reason,
the Board resolved that revenue generating work
will be closely followed throughout the period of the
Assembly in order to build up reserves that stand in
relation to operations and so that the organisation is
less vulnerable. The Board is concerned about the
breadth of our international involvement, which requires considerable financial and administrative resources. The Board has therefore requested a thorough
examination, envisaged for 2008, of our programmed
activities abroad. The same concerns activities on the
home front, and the administration makes the initiation or continuance of all projects conditional on their
ability to break even.
Work towards the labour movement progressed well in 2007. Norwegian People’s Aid is the
labour movement’s humanitarian organisation for
solidarity, and this work must be given even greater weight and followed closely by the Board. Collaboration with the labour movement must occur
at all levels – centrally, regionally and locally.
The Board will now be paying particular attention
to organisational work as the third area for special
focus during the period of the Assembly. As previously mentioned, an organisational department to
strengthen the development of Norwegian People’s
Aid was set up in 2007. The government white paper
concerning voluntary work, which was published in
the summer of 2007, underlines that most organisations of similar character to Norwegian People’s Aid
are experiencing a certain decline. The Board notes
that this is also the case with Norwegian People’s
Aid, but is pleased to report that the percentage of
members under 30 years of age is on the increase.
Through the combined efforts of a well-run organisational department and an organisational committee
with strong ties to the Board – the 1st Vice Chairman
is the committee’s leader – the Board feels secure
that the organisation will be able to fulfil the expectations conveyed in the General Assembly resolution of
2003, and renewed in 2007, namely that Norwegian
People’s Aid be a forward-looking organisation.
Entering new countries and establishing large projects in countries and regions where we are already
active may involve a degree of uncertainty. Such
uncertainty may be linked with financing on the short,
medium or long term. Rapid action is required particularly in relation to the clearance of mines and/or
cluster munitions in the aftermath of war or armed
conflict to ensure that humanitarian aid and assistance is able to get in.
Shifts in requirements and changing
framework conditions demand that
we carry out measures necessary in
relation to restructuring, competence enhancement
and new methods to achieve prioritised objectives.
We must be able to fulfil our own, and our partners’,
expectations and demands of a professional humanitarian organisation. Defensible control routines are
put into action the moment we start new projects or
establish ourselves in new areas.
Financial risk
Norwegian People’s Aid desires to take as little
financial risk as possible. The organisation has internal procedures for spreading currency risk across
different projects. In addition to this, donations are
maintained in the donor’s currency as long as possible. All contracts with our partners contain clauses
to prevent risks connected with currency.
Finn Erik Thoresen
Chairman
Kjersti E.R. Jenssen
1st Vice Chairman
Atle Høie
2nd Vice Chairman
Petter Eide
Secretary General
i praksis
15
ACTIVITY ACCOUNTS AS OF 31.12
(Figures in thousands)
ACQUISITION OF FUNDS
Notes
2007
2006
1 282
993
609 257
15 239
624 496
618 331
14 186
632 517
24 765
21 934
46 700
39 551
18 409
57 960
44 910
340
57 748
249
1 589
46 839
2 562
60 559
Foreign exchange gains/losses
Finance income
Other financial costs
Total financial income
1 155
3 626
-2 634
2 147
-83
2 037
-1 500
454
Other income
7 861
0
729 325
752 483
Income from membership
Official donors
Others
Total donors
Gaming and lotteries
Donors
Total collected funds
Activities which fulfil NPA’s objectives
• Refugee reception centres and other operating units in Norway
• Sale of advertising space Appell
Activities which create income:
• Product sales
Total accrued funds from operational activities
TOTAL ACQUIRED FUNDS
2
3
FUNDS USED
Notes
Gaming and lotteries
Donors
Product sales
Artist gala
Other costs
Total costs to acquirement of funds
Mine clearance
Rebuilding, food and emergency relief
Society-building and rights
Hospital operations and other health work
Attitude-changing and anti-rascist activities
Refugee reception centres and other operating units in Norway
Members organisation
Information work in Norway
Other projects
Project follow-up at the head administrative office
VAT payments
Total costs to objectives
Administration
TOTAL FUNDS USED
ANNUAL ACTIVITY RESULTS
2007
2006
10 983
8 600
1 636
14 311
3 262
38 792
11 018
8 695
1 856
0
5 788
27 357
213 797
144 738
149 028
21 469
4 538
43 169
14 973
5 265
64 737
20 385
-2 095
680 004
219 329
166 423
135 372
27 568
3 473
55 702
14 913
4 515
66 283
25 348
-3 438
715 488
16 517
19 532
735 314
762 377
-5 989
-9 895
443
-2 792
-3 640
-14 387
241
4 251
-5 989
-9 895
ALLOCATION OF ACTIVITY RESULTS
Transfered to/from Equity with externally imposed restrictions
Transfered to/from Equity with self-imposed restrictions
Transfered to/from other equity
TOTAL ALLOCATION
16
11
11
12
Balance as of 31.12
(Figures in thousands)
ASSETS
Tangible fixed assets
Fixed assets
Total fixed assets
Notes
2007
2006
4
11 998
11 998
9 958
9 958
Current assets
Stocks
Receivables
Current asset investments
Cash at bank and in hand etc
Total Current Assets
TOTAL ASSETS
6
7
13
923
136 807
26 553
178 704
342 988
153
150 789
22 709
185 105
358 755
354 986
368 713
Notes
2007
2006
Equity
Other reserves
12
18 140
21 780
Restricted equity
Equity with externally imposed restrictions
Equity with self-imposed restrictions
11
11
999
33 190
556
35 982
52 329
58 317
223 492
8 888
1 654
23 316
13 606
26 362
5 339
302 657
224 067
10 084
949
20 357
12 875
31 370
10 693
310 395
354 986
368 713
EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Total equity and funds
Liabilities
Current liabilities
Received funds re non-completed projects
Liabilities to project donors
Unpaid interest on funds received
Various creditors
Unpaid government charges, holiday pay
Provisions for liabilities and charges
Other current liabilities
Total liabilities
5
8
8
9
10
TOTAL EQUITY AND LIABILITIES
Restricted funds
Pension commitments
13
14
Finn Erik Thoresen
Chairman of the Board
Kjersti E.R. Jenssen
1st Vice Chairman
Atle Høie
2nd Vice Chairman
Petter Eide
Secretary General
17
NOTES TO THE ACCOUNTS
(Figures in the tables are given in thousands of NOK; the text records the exact figures)
CASH FLOW STATEMENT
Annual result
Depreciation
Gains/loss with sale of fixed assets
Change in stocks
Change in accounts receivable
Change in accounts payable and other accruals
NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATIONAL ACTIVITIES
Deposits from sales of fixed assets
Expenses from purchase of fixed assets
NET CASH FLOW FROM INVESTMENT ACTIVITIES
Allocation of funds
NET CASH FLOW FROM FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES
Net change cash flow
Balance cash at bank and in hand 01.01
BALANCE AS OF 31.12
2007
2006
-5 989
6 438
-47
-770
13 981
-11 584
2 029
-9 895
4 395
93
-114
39 466
-5 106
28 839
43
-8 473
-8 430
159
-2 750
-2 591
0
0
0
0
-6 401
185 105
178 704
26 248
158 857
185 105
NOTE 1
Accounting principles:
The Annual Accounts of Norwegian People’s Aid consist of the following:
• Activity accounts
• Balance sheet
• Cash flow statement
• Notes
The Annual Accounts have been prepared by the organisation’s Board and management and must be
read in connection with the Annual Report and the Auditor’s Report.
Basic principles - assessment and classification - other matters
The Annual Accounts have been submitted in accordance with the Norwegain Accounting Act and generally accepted accounting principles, including the Provisional Norwegian Accounting Standard on Good
Accounting Principles for Idealistic Organisations as of September 2006. The Annual Accounts provide a
true picture of the organisation’s earned resources and how these have been used during the course of
the year, as well as its financial position at the end of the year. The Annual Accounts have been edited
and they have been presented in a summrised form. The necessary specifications appear in the notes.
Consequently the notes form an integral part of the Annual Accounts.
The Annual Accounts are based on the basic principles that apply to historical costs, matching, the going
concern assumption, all-inclusive income and prudence. The basic principles realting to transactions, earned
income and matching have been deviated from in acordance with Section 4-1, sub-section 3 of the Norwegian
Accounting Act, where such can be regarded as generally accepted accounting practice. Further details about
the accounting priciples appear below. When actual figures were not available/certain at the time the accounts
were presented, generally accepted accounting practice dictates that the management should make the best
possible estimate for inclusion in the accounts. There may be deviations between estimated and actual figures.
General principles
Assets intended for permanent ownership and use are classified as fixed asets. Other assets are classified as
current assets. Current assets/liabilities are valued at the lower/higher of cost and their estimated value. The actual value is defined as the estimated future sales price minus anticipated sales expenses. Stocks are valued at
the lower of cost in accordance with the ”first-in first-out principle” and estimated sales price. Receivables have
been entered at their nominal value with deductions for anticipated losses. Assets are basically valued at cost.
Assets that diminish in value are depreciated. If the normal turnover value falls below the capitaised value on
the date of the balance sheet, the asset in question is written down. Similar principles are also normally applied
to liability items.
In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, thee are a few exceptions from the general rules
relating to assessment. These exceptions are commented on below. When employing accounting principles and
18
presenting transactions and other matters, emphasis has been placed on the financial realities of the situation in
question, not just the legal form. Conditional losses that are probable and quantifiable are carried to expenses.
The division of activities is based on the organisation’s internal control and reporting structure. The
activity accounts have been included in the notes to the Annual Accouunts, while the profit and loss account is based on the nature of operations. Figures relating to activities are presented in order to show
the organisation’s compliance with its objectives. Geographical fields of activity are also shown where
relevant. These figures have been reconciled against the organisation’s profits/losses and net assets.
Accounting principles relating to major acounting items
Date of revenue recognition/earnings
Income is entered on the profit and loss account as and when it accrues. For income which is not offset,
e.g. gifts, such is regarded as being earned when the following three criteria have been complied with:
1. The organisation must be legally entitled to the income in question
2. It must be reasonably certain that the income in question will be received
3. It must be possible to measure the income in question with a satisfactory degree of reliability
Reasonable certainty that income will be received is based on an accounts-related understanding of
probability concepts, cf. Norwegian Accounting Standard no.13 - Uncertain commitments and assets
indicating a probability of 90-100 %.
Income from members
The organisation receives voluntary subscriptions from its members. These are not offset and are taken
to income on a continuous basis.
Operating subsidies
Subsidies that are designed to cover expenses are taken to income gross. Where the criteria for revenue recognition have not been met, such subsidies are entered as liabilities on a separate line on the balance sheet.
Subsidies are entered on the accounts at the same value as that which applied on the transaction date. Large
subsidies for which it is not possible to estimate a real market value are explained in the notes. Inused project
funds are ntered as liabilities payable to the donor at the nd of the project in question.
Sponsor funds
Sponsor funds are accrued at the same rate as any offsets agreed. If it is not possible to undertake a
reliable measurement of such offsets, linear earnings are used as a practical line of approach.
Income from lotteries and gaming machines
Income from lotteries and gaming machines is taken to income gross. Expenses relating to lotteries and gaming
machines are entered under Expenses relating to the procurement of funds. As regards income from gaming
machines when the organisation does not own the machines concerned, but simply receives a percentage of
the income received, these funds are regarded as being gross income for the organisation.
Date when items are charged to expenses/comparison
Expenses are compared with and carried to expenses simultaneously with the activity that incurred the
expenditure in question. This applies both to the expenses incurred in order to obtain funds and also to
those incurred in order to realise the objective. Expenses that cannot be directly linked to activities are
carried to expenses as and when they occur.
Division of expenses
Wherever possible expenses are linked directly to the activities to which they are related. Expenses relating to more than one activity are divided between the various activities in question in a manner that is
as reasonable, reliable and consistent as possible.
The following distribution keys have been employed when dividing up expenses:
Expenses
Distribution key
Wages and salaries
Time per activity
Other expenses, e.g. rent and IT
No. of man-labour years per project
Other expenses and income
Expenses and income that are regarded as being extraordinary and essential to the organisation are
presented on a separate line in the activity accounts.
Tax
The organisation does not have any activities that are liable to taxation.
Tangible fixed assets
Tangible fixed assets are entered on the balance sheet at cost, minus accumulated depreciatio and
write-downs. A tangible asset is regarded as being permanent if it has an economic life of over three
years, as well as a cost price of over NOK 15,000. Tangible fixed assets acquired in order to carry out
projects abroad are carried to expenses at the time of acquisition.
If the normal sales value falls below the capitalised value on the balance sheet date, the tangible
asset in question is written down to its actual value. If it is difficult to determine the sales value, the cost
of acquisition minus depreciation is used to determine its actual value. In cases where the basis for
write-downs no longer exists, such write-downs are reversed. Write-downs, and any reversals of such
are entered on the same line in the activity accounts. Write-downs are classified as administration
expenses when they cannot be linked directly to an activity.
19
Depreciation
Ordinary depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over the estimated life of the tangible assets
in question and based on the historical cost minus the estimated scrap value. Depreciations are regarded as administrative expenses when they cannot be directly linked to an activity.
Leasing
As regards leases that are not capitalised (operational leasing) rental payments are treated as operating
expenses. Rental expenses are regarded as administrative expenses when they cannot be linked directly to an activity.
Financial investments
Market-based, bonds and other financial instruments are classified as current assets valued at actual
cost if they are listed on the stock exchange or administered by a professional capital manager and if the
actual value of the investments in question can be reliably measured. The profits (returns and change in
value) on such investments are classified as financialand investment income.
Pension commitments and expenses
As of 1st March 1994, the organisation’s pension agreement was transferred from Sparebanken1 Livsforsikring to Statens Pensjonskasse (the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund). The annual expenses are charged against salaries and social expenses. Norwegian people’s Aid has no commitments
over and above paying premiums to Statens Pensjonskasse. The funds in Sparebank1 Livsforsikring,
cf Note 14, are being used to cover remaining commitments to former and current members under the
old agreement and have not been included in the accounts. Three people are recieiving money from this
premium fund. Norwegian people’s Aid has no commitments over and above this. The premium fund is
considered to be adequate to cover all future commitments and has not therefore been capitalised.
Assets in foreign currency/foreign exchange gains
Assets in foreign currency are related to specific projects and wherever possible foreign exchange
gains/losses are taken to income/carried to expenses for for the respective projects. Stocks at the end of
the year are valued at their price on the balance sheet date, and any foreign exchange gains/losses are
either taken to income/carried to expenses in respect of the project in question or entered on the profit
and loss account under financial income/expenses.
Cash flow statement
The cash flow statement has been drawn up in accordance with the indirect method of accounting. Liquid assets comprise cash, bank deposits and current asset investments that are valued at their actual
value.
20
NOTE 2
THE FOLLOWING NORWEGIAN DONORS HAVE MADE CONTRIBUTIONS:
The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation
Other public Norwegian donors
TOTAL NORWEGIAN DONORS
2007
83 480
122 290
12 186
417 957
2006
262 544
125 683
7 502
395 729
USAID
US Department of state
FN/UNHCR
EU
SIDA
The Dutch Directorate of Immigration
Other public international donors
TOTAL INTERNATIONAL
105 892
19 902
16 075
145
3 083
16 693
29 511
191 301
113 940
24 824
15 620
20 578
9 785
15 975
21 880
222 602
TOTAL PUBLIC DONORS
609 257
618 331
3 150
12 089
15 239
3 728
10 457
14 186
THE FOLLOWING PRIVATE DONORS HAVE MADE CONTRIBUTIONS:
Health and Rehabilitation
Others
TOTAL
Norwegian People’s Aid has received NOK 29 658 466 from the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration, and NOK
10 082 786 from Østfold County council for the operation of refugee reception centres and other operating units.
NOTE 3
CONTRIBUTIONS HAVE ALSO COME FROM THE FOLLOWING SOURCES
Private
Businesses
Trade Union Movement
TOTAL
2007
2006
14 350 10 859
1 967 1 250
5 617 6 300
21 934 18 409
NOTE 4
All projects that have not been completed have been reviewed and included in the above table and will
be taken forward next year.
SPECIFICATION OF TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS
Sites and buildings
Fixtures/fittings
EDB maskiner
Software
Other fixed assets
TOTAL FIXED ASSETS
Moving costs
Moving expense Sudan
TOTAL FIXED ASSETS
Acq. Bought
2 662
0
2 172
0
4 570
1 010
12 545
505
2 664
881
24 613
2 396
625
0
0
6 077
Sold
0
16
67
776
31
890
0
0
Acc.dep.
448
1 941
4 392
8 838
2 507
18 126
343
2 354
Dep.
0
56
451
2 221
1 262
3 990
94
2 354
2007
2 214
215
1 121
3 436
1 007
7 993
282
3 723
11 998
2006
2 214
272
549
5 150
1 397
9 582
376
0
9 958
Administration income has only been included in respect of that perecentage of projects that has been
completed.
*) Acquisitions comprise grants from Norwegian and international donors for international projects, as
well as Norwegian People’s Aid’s own contributions for such.
NOTE 6
Curent accounts receivable
Donors, international project
Domestic activities/NPA groups/others
TOTAL
2007
113 017
23 790
136 807
2006
120 849
29 940
150 789
These fixed assets have a depreciation period of 3-5 years. Sites and buildings are not depreciated.
Moving expenses are carried to expenses over the remaining period of tenancy which in this case is 3 years.
Moving expenses to Juba in Sudan are carried to expenses over a period of 5 years; the remaining depreciation period is 3 years. It was decided in 2008 that the administration for the Sudan programme was
to move from Nairobi to Juba. Funds have been put aside for the move but the final costs are uncertain.
In 1999, Norwegian People’s Aid entered an agreement concerning the hire of computers. Since this
agreement is regarded as an operational leasing agreement, the total rental expenses have been included
under operating expenses. The total rental expenses relating to computers in 2007 is NOK 19 380.
There are no accounts receivable that fall due for payment more than one year after the end of the
financial year.
NOK 0 has been entered against expenses for losses on accounts receivable.
NOTE 7
NOTE 5
Shares/Units
Other investments
Norwegian shares and units
TOTAL
INTERNATIONAL/NATIONAL PROJECTS
Norwegian shares and units are primarily related to the Furumo/Løren fund cf Note 11.
OB 01.01
Country/region
Asia/Latin America/Middle East
100 602
Africa
88 008
Europe
25 991
Other projects
9 466
Funds received re. uncompleted projects 224 067
Acq *)
205 247
352 877
83 683
172 912
814 719
Used
218 463
344 102
84 288
168 441
815 294
CB 31.12
87 386
96 783
25 386
13 937
223 492
Change
-13 216
8 775
-605
4 471
-575
2007
410
26 143
26 553
2006
410
22 299
22 709
NOTE 8
Liabilities to project donors
The organisation’s projects have been conducted within the amounts budgetted for, and any surplusses
are being returned to the donors.
Unpaid interest on funds received
Accrued interest on funds granted by donors that are to be repaid as agreed.
21
NOTE 9
PROVISIONS FOR LIABILITIES AND CHARGES
Provisions for severance pay schemes at foreign offices (see Note 14)
Other provisions for international projects
Maintenance of reception centres
National conference
Other provisions
Provisions for project reviews
TOTAL REVISIONS FOR LIABILITIES AND CHARGES
1)
2007
12 783
7 738
1 922
0
1 516
2 403
26 362
2006
16 168
6 425
3 511
900
2 548
1 818
31 370
These are earmarked funds which have been collected during various campaigns.
These funds are gifts that are not earmarked for any special purposes, including a gift of NOK
10 000 000 from Norsk Hydro. Norwegian People’s Aid has decided that the Board will be responsible
for allocating the Hydro funds. In consequence, the Board has voted to allocate NOK 1 032 000 for
2008, as follows: NOK 350 000 for the ”Folk til Folk” joint venture in the north, NOK 682 500 for the
project entitled ”Organisation building as a Basis for Reducing Poverty”. A total of NOK 4 279 130 has
now been allocated and transfered to projects; thus NOK 5 720 870 remains.
2)
The returns on the Furumo/Løren fund will be used to benefit the disabled and other vulnerable groups
with a view to imprving their lives and their chances of obtaining work. The returns may also be used for
attitude building work.
3)
NOTE 10
OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES
Operating grants paid in advance by the Directorate of Immigration (UDI)
Other current liabilities
TOTAL OTHER CURRENT LIABILITIES
2007
0
5 339
5 339
2006
4 115
6 578
10 693
The Kure Epilepsy Centre is owned and run by Norwegian People’s Aid. Services offered at the centre
are nationally available and suitable for people with a difficult degree of epilepsy. It was decided that the
centre should be sold in 2007, cf the Board’s decision of December 2006. Operations at the centre ceased on 30.09.2007. The centre remains unsold as of 31.12.2007.
4)
NOTE 11
NOTE 12
NET MOVEMENT IN EQUITY WITH RESTRICTIONS
Equity with externally imposed restrictions 1)
Equity with self-imposed restrictions
TOTAL
OB 01.01
556
35 982
36 538
Bought
443
12 903
13 346
Used
0
15 695
15 695
CB 31.12 Net change
999
443
33 190
-2 792
34 189
-2 349
ANNUAL EQUITY MOVEMENTS
Equity
From annual profit/loss
EQUITY AS OF 31 DECEMBER
2007
21 780
-3 640
18 140
2006
17 529
4 251
21 780
2007
4 000
2 973
3 832
10 805
62 314
67 898
141 017
37 687
178 704
2006
4 000
3 764
4 037
11 801
75 789
76 382
163 972
21 133
185 105
NOTE 13
SPECIFICATION OF EQUITY WITH SELF-IMPOSED RESTRICTIONS
Collected funds 2)
Furumo/Løren 3)
Kure Epilepsy Centre 4)
TOTAL SPECIFICATION
22
15 647
18 323
2 012
35 982
775
1 746
10 382
12 903
4 680
932
10 083
15 695
11 742
19 137
2 311
33 190
-3 905
814
299
-2 792
CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND ETC.
Security for lottery profits
Tax deducted from employees
Other bank accounts/frozen
Total frozen bank deposits
Other restricted funds not placed in frozen accounts
Other restricted funds in foreign accounts
Total restricted funds
Unrestricted funds
TOTAL CASH AT BANK AND IN HAND ETC.
NOTE 14
PENSIONS AND OTHER COMMITMENTS ON BEHALF OF EMPLOYEES
Premium fund
TOTAL
WAGES AND SALARIES
Wages and salaries re. All employees abroad
Wages and salaries re reception centres and projects in Norway
Wages and salaries at head office
Employer’s National Insurance contributions
Pension expenses
Other benefits
TOTAL
2007
1 882
1 882
2006
1 762
1 762
2007
150 497
24 416
32 553
10 883
2 677
40 287
261 313
2006
156 326
28 393
34 103
11 436
2 717
39 761
272 736
Auditor
Auditor’s fees amounting to NOK 445 000 excl VAT were carried to expenses for auditing the annual
accounts at the organisation’s head administrative office. The organisation’s donors require special certification relating to all projects. The costs of conducting audits at the organisation’s offices abroad and
in connection with foreign project activities amounted to NOK 4 260 611 and the cost of auditing project
activities in Norway was NOK 809 324. These audits covered 400 projects. The Norwegian Directorate
of Immigration requires that all reimbursement demands be audited and the costs thereof amounted to
NOK 638 376.
NOTE 15
Lawsuits/disputes
Norwegian People’s Aid is involved in disputes in respect of some of its foreign activities. The necessary
provisions have been made in the accounts following consultation with local legal advisors.
Total wages and salaries include salaries paid to Norwegian and foreign relief workers based abroad.
As of 31.12, there were 94 employees at the head office in Norway, 25 at refugee reception centres,
4 at other operating units, 57 on contract at offices abroad and approx 2 664 local employees working
abroad.
Compulsory service pension
The organisation has 193 employees covered by the statutory regulations relating to compulsory service
pensions. All employees are covered by a collective pension scheme that complies with the requirements specified in this legislation.
Allocations for severance pay at offices abroad
Total wages and salaries include provisions for severance pay abroad where such is a statutory requirement. Practices vary at the organisation’s various foreign offices and these are dictated by the statutory
provisions that apply in the programme country concerned. Norwegian People’s Aid has estimated its
future commitments and has drawn up a joint programme in collaboration with donors containig provisions for severance pay.
Remunerations/pay for Board members and the Secretary General
No remunerations were paid out to Board members in 2007. Salary paid out to the temporary Secretary
General was NOK 752 987 and other benefits amounted to NOK 2666. The permanent Secretary
General particiates in Norwegian People’s Aid’s ordinary pension scheme and does not receive any
other remunerations apart from an ordinary salary. Norwegian People’s Aid is not obliged to make
any payments to the Secretary General upon termination of, or in the event of any changes to, his/her
employment contract.
23
24
Norwegian People’s Aid
P.O. Box 8844
Youngstorget
0028 OSLO
28
Tel.: +47 22 03 77 00
Fax: +47 22 20 08 70
norsk.folkehjelp@npaid.org
www.folkehjelp.no