NPA annual report 2014 by Norsk Folkehjelp

Solidarity in Action ANNUAL REPORT 2014

This is Norwegian People’s Aid

A fearless organisation with strong opinions Result-oriented and solution-focused Taking a stand based on knowledge and experience Challenging power and injustice in partnership with vulnerable groups Solidarity in action – not charity Our vision

Norwegian People’s Aid’s vision is “Solidarity in action”. The work we do is based on cooperation between equal partners – not charity.

Our foundations

Norwegian People’s Aid is the Trade Union Movement’s humanitarian organisation for solidarity.

Our mission

We work both nationally and internationally to improve the living conditions of vulnerable groups and to contribute to a just society. We give people the support they need to be able to protect and promote their own interests.

Our reach

Norwegian People’s Aid is active in 40 countries and spearheads initiatives within humanitarian disarmament. In Norway, we work on refugee and integration issues, and our first aid and rescue teams are a mainstay of voluntary preparedness arrangements in Norway.

Cover photo: School for girls in Harfo, Somalia — supported by NPA partner GECPD.

Contents

Foreword by the Secretary General 4 Committed supporters 6 Political influence 8 Norwegian Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aid around the world 9 Anniversary year 2014 10 Refugees and integration 14 Development 18 2014 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a year of crisis 22 Emergency humanitarian relief 24 Rescue service and first aid 26 Humanitarian disarmament 30 Democracy and campaigns 34 Fighting corruption 36 Income and expenditure 40 Financial statements 42 3

Foreword by the Secretary General:

Photo: Thomas Brown

Major catastrophes, but a small boy gives me hope

2014 proved to be a challenging year. The world experienced several serious humanitarian crises and had to contend with more refugees than at any time since World War II. However, despite all this, a seven-year-old Norwegian boy gave me renewed faith in the future. The Middle East was engulfed in flames. The around 50-day war in Gaza cost more than 2,000 lives, most of them civilian. Meanwhile, ISIL declared its caliphate in Iraq (and the Levant). Jihadist groups in the Middle East recruited many new members, including from Europe. Jihadist attacks in Europe created new tensions between groups in Norway and increased the need for integration,

tolerance and preparedness. At the same time, the crisis in the Ukraine ramped up tensions between Russia and the West.

Just as relevant as in 1939

The gap between the large numbers of poor and the relatively few wealthy and prosperous widened in many countries, creating greater social tension and unrest. In a world

characterised by humanitarian disasters and major refugee flows caused by political and human factors, we received a powerful reminder of the need not only for action and leadership, but also for preparedness, volunteers, public participation and humanitarian aid. Norwegian Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aid is just as relevant today as when we started in 1939.

NPA is a true child of the labour movement and we embarked upon our anniversary year in 2014 with a proud history behind us. Since its establishment with original focus on worker health and international solidarity 75 years ago, NPA has contributed to national and international solidarity work, emergency relief, rescue operations and integration and disarmament initiatives. We have also displayed an ability to innovate in terms of deciding where help should be directed, what kind of initiatives are required and when the government, our partners or others stakeholders should take over responsibility.

Integration in focus

of assistance in the ongoing civil war. Emergency relief was also a large part of our initiatives in Iraq and Syria. Our long-standing and close cooperation with partners in Kurdistan, Iraq and Lebanon has provided us and our partners with access to parts of Syria and Iraq that others have found very hard to gain. In Syria, we provided food aid to 60,000 people. During the war in Gaza, we were one of the high-profile international organisations pushing for an end to warfare and a lifting of the blockade, and striving to hold Israel to account and end the occupation.

Stronger organisation

Spearheading a nuclear weapons ban

We are one of the world’s leading humanitarian disarmament organisations. Last year we destroyed more than 23,000 cluster munitions, more than 5,600 mines and more than 31,000 other explosive devices. The work we do allows people to move more freely and cultivate their land, and their children to enjoy the playground and get safely to and from school. In addition to the actual clearing job, NPA has been continuously working through political channels to prevent the use of unacceptable weapons that involve significant collateral consequences for the civilian population and/or do not distinguish between civilian and military targets. That is why we worked together with other organisations to ban landmines and cluster munitions. Today, such weapons are prohibited. Now, we are adopting the same approach with the intention of prohibiting nuclear weapons. NPA Youth for Solidarity has made this cause its main focus and is now spearheading the campaign.

In parallel with these massive international relief efforts, we also continued our initiatives to help build democracy in a number of countries. Regimes controlled by an elite ruling class cannot be changed overnight. This requires unwavering persistence and robust organisation. Many people have sacrificed a great deal throughout history in the struggle for a better society and fair distribution of resources. The more than 300 organisations with whom we work know that while “divided we are weak”, if we form alliances and unite, we will be strong enough to effect the changes we are seeking.

Norwegian People’s Aid grew in strength in 2014. As we approach our 2015 National Congress, we have more members and more local organisations, and higher activity levels here in Norway. We have also strengthened our links with the trade unions. Our work both at home and abroad is characterised by the keywords and ambitions of visibility, clarity, professionalism, energy and standing up for what we believe in. Just as in the past, we are working in a number of areas to extend our members’ involvement and interests. Our volunteer rescue service is an important pillar for Norwegian emergency preparedness. While searching for missing people out in the forest, in water, in the mountains and in the city can be extremely challenging, members of the NPA Rescue Service readily volunteer for such tasks. Our people are often the first on the scene: ready at all hours of the day, providing an additional layer of security for the local community. Last year, we participated in 316 rescue operations, an increase of 50 per cent from 2013. In addition, our Youth Health and Rescue groups are helping to nurture the next generation of avalanche experts and rescuers.

Preparedness is also a question of creating a more tolerant society prepared to accept and promote diversity and mutual respect. The terrorist attacks in Norway on 22 July 2011 clearly showed that the struggle against extremism is more important than ever. The recent attacks in Europe have confirmed the need for active initiatives to promote inclusiveness and combat radicalisation, and emphasised the importance of our work with integration in both the workplace and the community at large.

In desperate need of help

War and conflict have inflicted great suffering on the civilian populations in many of the countries where we work. Norwegian People’s Aid had to quickly initiate relief operations in Iraq, South Sudan and Gaza. In South Sudan, we have handed out food aid to 340,000 people in desperate need

The seven-year-old who put others before himself Nothing we did in 2014 nor the results we achieved would have been possible without our partners, trade unions, donors, members and volunteers. Every contribution – whatever the size – helps us to keep working for a better world. When I hear stories like that of seven-yearold Amund Elias Noteng of Ler in Melhus – who was willing to forego his birthday presents and instead donate money to our work in Gaza during the war in 2014 – my faith in humanity is restored.

Liv Tørres, Secretary General Norwegian People’s Aid

Committed supporters generating good results Cooperation with old and new supporters in 2014 brought in important income for our work both at home and abroad and extended the impact and influence of our work. We look forward to continuing our partnership with our supporters in the years ahead.

Important partners

More regular donors

NPA’s largest and most important private partner in Norway is Coop. Coop members and customers support our partnership by donating the deposit from recycling machines in Coop stores. In 2014 NPA once again participated in “Coop Week” with Coop Øst, where we hired a stand which we used to inform customers about the partnership.

We greatly appreciate our regular donors. Our regular donors are extremely loyal and most remain with us for many years. Thanks to successful recruitment campaigns, the number of regular donors rose by 19 per cent in 2014. Being a regular donor involves giving people the help they need to be able to change their lives.

Crisis fund-raising campaigns

The Kavli Trust is another of our key partners. The trust supports farmers in South Sudan by donating profits from the sale of food in Norway. In practical terms, this support involves giving farmers new and better knowledge of food production.

At the start of 2014, helping the Syrian refugees remained a key focus area.

As part of our Sponsor a mine dog concept, we were able employ two new dogs thanks to Jernbanepersonalets Bank og Forsikring. The puppies are named Mina and Mino and will be sponsored by the company for three years.

My campaign

Our web-based fund-raising tool “My campaign” was launched in 2013. This enables individuals, companies and unions to start their own campaigns to raise money for selected purposes. The concept uses e-mail and social media to spread information to people in the network of those starting campaigns. A total of almost NOK 1.8 million was raised in 2014, primarily for Syria and Gaza.

“People Change the World” is the annual fund-raising campaign run by NPA and the entire Norwegian labour movement to celebrate International Workers’ Day on 1 May. The themes for 2014 were support for freedom of speech, freedom of association and the right to participate in political activities. The campaign spotlighted Colombia, Myanmar, South Africa and Palestine. In total, more than NOK 700,000 was collected through pledges and collection boxes.

Photo: Mahmoud Hamada Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid

In July 2014, war returned to Gaza. Civilians were subjected to heavy bombardment by Israeli military forces. NPA and Norwegian trade unions raised funds to help the civilian population.

1 May 2014

The money that was raised was used for aid packages to help the displaced population survive a tough winter. In spring 2014, large parts of Central Europe were hit by massive floods. NPA raised money for individuals

affected by the floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Our main priority was securing mine-infested areas.

Our close and productive partnership with the Norwegian trade union movement proved a further political and economic success in 2014. Funds received by NPA from the trade union movement are largely used to finance the own contributions covered by NPA under the framework agreement with NORAD.

Photo: Eivor Eriksen

Cooperation with the trade union movement

In celebration of NPA’s 75th anniversary, we signed a contract with the Norwegian Seafarers’ Union to provide support for the national rescue service. General Secretary Liv Tørres, Director of NPA’s First Aid and Rescue Service Live Kummen and union leader Johnny Hansen.

A selection of activities from 2014:

• The Norwegian Union of Municipal

and General Employees extended its partnership agreement with NPA by NOK 19.4 million for the period 2014–2017. These funds will be channelled to Palestine, Lebanon and Laos. Political advocacy in support of the Palestinians and support for union officers and members represent further key elements of this partnership. Two ambassadorial trips were undertaken, one to Lebanon and one to Palestine. • The Norwegian Transport Workers’ Union extended its partnership agreement for four more years. Altogether, NOK 750,000 will go to women in South Sudan and the Mine Dog Centre in Bosnia and Herzegovina. • At its National Congress, the Norwegian Civil Service Union resolved to enter into a partnership agreement over the next four years worth NOK 600,000. This support will help combat violence against

women in Rwanda and over the longer term will stimulate internal commitment in the union through an ambassador corps. • The Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers (FO) signed a one-year pilot agreement to support women’s rights in South Sudan worth NOK 200,000. One key aspect of this partnership involves the creation of an ambassador corps consisting of members of the Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers from Akershus and Hedmark. • A new agreement was signed with the Norwegian Seafarers’ Union with support to the national rescue services. The union will be supporting this work by donating NOK 25 per member each year until 2017. This will provide approximately NOK 1 million for our first aid and rescue work. • The Norwegian Engineers and Managers Association (FLT) signed

a partnership agreement on mine clearance and vocational schools in South Sudan. • At its National Congress, Industri Energi passed a resolution to continue its partnership with NPA in South Sudan, with a particular focus on oil workers. • As part of our work to combat radicalisation and extremism in Norway, in 2014 we entered into a political partnership with the Norwegian Prison and Probation Officers’ Union. • The trade union movement was strongly represented at the celebra tion of NPA’s 75th anniversary. • The leadership of the Norwegian Union of Commerce and Office Employees visited the Norwegian People’s Aid Mine Dog Centre in Sarajevo. • We hired stands and made appeals across the country, often with the participation of local members of Norwegian People’s Aid.

Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid

Political influence

Political Advisor Ingeborg Moa and Rescue Service and First Aid Leader Jon Halvorsen at parliamentary hearing on the rescue service.

NPA conducts practical solidarity work worldwide. We stand up for our beliefs based on experiences gathered in our daily work. Incorporating field experiences in political advocacy work is a deliberate strategy which enables NPA to contribute to important political changes worldwide.

Extra funding for volunteer initiatives

During the proposals for the 2015 State Budget, the Justice Committee approved the following joint statement: In connection with the State Budget for 2016, the Committee requests that the government assess the need to reinforce the framework conditions for NGOs that perform rescue services. We hope to realise the benefits of this statement when the 2016 State Budget is presented, through the Norwegian government at least partially meeting our request to raise the subsidy allocated to voluntary rescue resources in the State Budget from NOK 19.6 million to NOK 65 million.

Continued support

The government had announced its intention to cut funding of the Au Pair Centre that NPA operates in cooperation with the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees by NOK 3 million. We managed to secure continued funding for the centre.

Independent Council on Ethics

In spring 2014, during white paper proposals for the Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) (2013–14), we convinced the Norwegian Parliament to reject the government’s proposal

that the Council on Ethics should be incorporated into Norges Bank. Thus we still have an independent Council on Ethics.

lobbying has resulted in a number of media reports, including in Dagbladet, Dagens Næringsliv, Dagsrevyen, Morgenbladet and VG.

Dangerous liaisons

Government U-turn

Since 2012 NPA, in cooperation with the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees, has been in talks with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the need for an official government statement discouraging Norwegian industry from establishing economic relations with organisations supporting violations of human rights and international law in connection with the occupation of Gaza. During 2014 17 European countries made similar recommendations to their own trade and industry sectors. In 2014 NPA and the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees requested a meeting with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the matter. This was not granted, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not yet made any recommendations to Norwegian trade and industry. We have also held meetings with other political parties. The Norwegian Labour Party has helped to raise the profile of this issue by communicating the need for an industry recommendation both in the media and in the parliament. This

In autumn 2014, together with other organisations, we managed to persuade the government to change its stance on the issue of the consentration of Norwegian aid. The 2015 Revised National Budget now reads as follows: “The government is of the opinion that the consentration should not impose restrictions on where Norway can contribute humanitarian aid funding.” In the review of the 2015 budget, the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee gave its support to the government’s proposal for a considered geographical concentration of Norwegian aid, ref. Recommendation 7 S (2014–2015). Meanwhile, the parliament requested an elaboration on the assumptions underlying the proposal. Furthermore, it was agreed that the concentration should not include Norwegian NGOs or humanitarian support.

Humanitarian disarmament See page 30 for the results of NPA’s work on policy development in the field of humanitarian disarmament.

Norwegian Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aid around the world

Rescue service/Asylum and integration

Development and building democracy

Landmines and weapons

Development/Mines

Norway

Bolivia Cuba Ecuador El Salvador Ethiopia Guatemala Honduras Nicaragua Palestine Rwanda South Africa Tanzania

Albania Angola Bosnia and Herzegovina Congo (DRC) Jordan Kosovo Laos Libya Mauritania Moldova Montenegro Peru The Republic of Congo Serbia Tajikistan Thailand Western Sahara

Cambodia Colombia Iraq Lebanon Myanmar Somalia South Sudan Syria Tajikistan Thailand Vietnam Zimbabwe

All photos: Eivor Eriksen

Anniversary year 2014

The red carpet. From the left, NPA Board Chairman Finn Erik Thoresen, HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit, HRH Crown Prince Haakon and the Secretary General of NPA Liv Tørres.

The Secretary General of Comandos de Salvamento, Roberto Cruz, congratulated NPA on its anniversary and thanked the organisation for a long and rewarding partnership.

First Confederal Secretary of the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions and board member of NPA, Peggy Hessen Følsvik, is proud of the links between the trade union movement and NPA.

ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION On Friday 5 December 2014, NPA celebrated its 75th anniversary. Royal guests, friends and partners attended celebrations at Oslo Congress Centre together with employee representatives and staff. HRH Crown Prince Haakon and HRH Crown Princess Mette-Marit attended on behalf of the Norwegian Royal Family. HRH Crown Prince Haakon was NPA’s patron during the 2011 TV campaign and is very familiar with the organisation’s work. When asked what he thought

of the celebrations the Crown Prince replied: “Outstanding. Norwegian People’s Aid does a remarkable job in many different areas, ranging from rescue services to clearing mines and other valuable international work. So it has been very gratifying to attend the celebration of the first 75 years, and I expect there will be many more years to come, because there’s a great need out there, as we have already heard. But it was very pleasing to be able to participate in the anniversary celebrations.”

Peggy Hessen Følsvik gave a speech on behalf of the trade union movement in which she explained that just as NPA is proud of its roots in the trade union movement, so the trade union move ment was equally proud to be affiliated with an organisation such as NPA. Representatives from NPA’s longstanding partner in El Salvador, Comandos de Salvamento, were the only official guests representing our partners abroad. In his speech, the Secretary General Roberto Cruz thanked NPA for 30 years of solidarity and cooperation.

ANNIVERSARY BOOK Terje Olsson from the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions expressed pride in the bond between NPA and the trade union movement. “When I watch the news on TV and see all the terrible things happening across the world, I am proud to think that we are there to help,” said Olsson.

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He also confirmed that the government would continue to collaborate with NPA to promote freedom of association and democracy in emerging countries.

The anniversary book was written by journalist Thor Viksveen, who was interviewed by Arne Strand at the book release. The author confirmed that recording the story of such a far-reaching organisation as NPA had been a major undertaking, but stressed that the work had been enjoyable. “It has been a pleasure to collabo rate with the staff of this organisation. Their dedication to their work has greatly impressed me,” said Viksveen.

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Among the distinguished guests in attendance were Foreign Minister Børge Brende. “I am hugely impressed with the work and commitment of Norwegian People’s Aid. The entire organisation performs a great deal of important work, combining volunteering and field activities with political lobbying,” commented the Foreign Minister.

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The book was entitled Folk forandrer verden (People change the world) and was launched in November 2014 at Eldorado cinema in Oslo.

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To mark the anniversary, NPA’s 75-year history has been collated in a book.

All photos: Eivor Eriksen

In connection with the launch of the anniversary book, author Thor Viksveen was interviewed about NPA’s diverse history by journalist Arne Strand.

Foreign Minister Børge Brende attended the launch of NPA’s anniversary book.

Author Thor Viksveen signs a copy of the anniversary book for NPA Board Chairman Finn Erik Thoresen.

13 Photo: Ivar Christiansen

REFUGEES AND INTEGRATION Asylum seekers, refugees and ethnic minorities in Norway score lowest on human development indices, face discrimination in many areas of society and lack many of the This makes them an absolutely key responsibility and commitment for NPA.

All photos: Eivor Eriksen

rights to which they should be entitled.

Working for a humane refugee policy With over 25 years as the only major humanitarian organisation running reception centres for asylum-seekers, NPA has acquired unique expertise in working with refugees. In addition to running reception centres for asylumseekers, we meet quota refugees on their arrival in Norway, and ensure that unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are assigned a representative or guardian. NPA also runs an advisory centre for au pairs and host families and holds courses and runs awareness-raising activities relating to inclusion in the workplace and society. We are an organisation that stands up for what it believes in and works through political channels to improve conditions for asylum-seekers, refugees and ethnic minorities.

Reception centres for asylum-seekers

In 2014 NPA operated nine reception centres for asylum-seekers. As the operator, we endeavour to ensure that our residents have a safe and dignified stay, whatever the status of their case. We work to help the residents keep their lives as active as possible whilst they are at the reception centres. During 2014 we conducted a thorough review of our reception operations, focusing on improving quality subject to the existing financial frameworks. We aim to continue this work in 2015.

Refugee Reception Service

In 2014 we provided assistance to quota and family reunification refugees at Oslo Gardermoen Airport. Quota refugees arriving at Gardermoen who will be continuing their journey on a domestic flight are greeted by NPA refugee assistants, who do their best to ensure that there are no problems during their layover. The greatest proportion of refugees received by the Refugee Reception Service in 2014 came from Syria; however, large numbers also arrived from Eritrea, Somalia and DR Congo.

Guardian secretariat

On behalf of the County Governor, NPA continued its work training guardians and representatives of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, in addition to managing the allocation of assignments. A duty roster ensures that competent adults are always available to safeguard children’s rights at the National Police Immigration Service (NPIS) and the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI).

Combating radicalisation

Combating radicalisation involves working against both right-wing and Islamist extremism. This work started in the second half of 2014 with a survey of potential donorfunding and an assessment of the contribution NPA could make in this

regard. When it comes to combating far-right extremism, our work will revolve around keeping this issue on the political agenda and ensuring it is placed on an equal footing to initiatives to counter Islamist extremism. In 2014 a conference was planned on right-wing extremism in Norway and the Nordic region. The conference was held in April 2015 in cooperation with the Norwegian Centre against Racism and International House Foundation. Initiatives to combat Islamist extremism primarily centre on creating an open and inclusive society in order to help prevent exclusion of young people from minority backgrounds. In autumn 2014, NPA applied for and received a grant from the Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion for dialogue meetings in Østfold with young people from minority backgrounds. These talks were scheduled for spring 2015. We also established a partnership with the crime-prevention unit of the Stovner police station and initiated application processes to finance the establishment of a collaborative forum for youth in Groruddalen.

Au Pair Centre

In cooperation with the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees, NPA operates the Au Pair Centre/On Equal Terms – an informa-

Photo: Werner Anderson

a letter on Facebook, which au pairs could then print out and hand to their host families. The centre has received positive feedback from many au pairs with regard to this letter.

In 2014 the Au Pair Centre received 800 enquiries. Of these, 63 per cent came from au pairs and 30 per cent from host families.

tion and advisory service for au pairs and host families. To ensure that au pairs are looked after as well as possible, it is important that both au pairs and host families have a place to turn to before, during and after a dispute. The main objectives of the centre are to maintain the rights of au pairs and to ensure that the au pair scheme is used for its intended purpose, namely cultural exchange. The centre offers courses to reinforce the cultural exchange element of the scheme, and also runs a café. NPA Youth for Solidarity Bislet and the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees Youth volunteer to work at the café. The Au Pair Centre has found that au pairs generally work too long hours and that host families do not declare tax for the au pair as they are required to by law.

As spreading information has proved challenging, we have prepared a handbook for host families and au pairs. The intention is to ensure that more au pairs and host families know what is expected of them, and are aware of their rights and responsibilities. This will reduce the likelihood of disputes and facilitate future cooperation. When new pocket money rates were introduced in Norway on 1 October 2014, the centre received numerous enquiries from au pairs requesting that we or the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) should send a letter about the new rates to the host families, as many were afraid to broach the issue themselves. For several reasons, the most important of which was the lack of an exhaustive list of host families in Norway, the Au Pair Centre formulated and posted

In 2014 the Au Pair Centre received 800 enquiries. Sixty-three per cent of those who contacted the centre were au pairs and 30 per cent were host families. The number of enquiries was up significantly on 2013. This was probably due to greater awareness of the centre among those working with or as au pairs. In addition to counselling and guidance, the centre provides legal assistance when necessary for dispute resolution. Most cases are resolved by one of the centre’s legal advisers or employees. However, in some cases the situation is sufficiently serious or tensions between the parties are so high that a lawyer is needed

The majority of enquiries to the Au Pair Centre concern: • General information about the au pair scheme • Immigration law, residence permits and visas • Procedures for finding a new host family • Holidays and holiday pay • Employment law and dismissal • Tax

Photo: Werner Anderson

Paperless – In My Shoes

The exhibition In My Shoes was produced in cooperation with photographer Ole Brodersen. It narrates the daily lives of two individuals and one family living as paperless immigrants in Norway. The exhibition opened at the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology in autumn 2014 and a debate was held to mark the occasion, with several political parties on the panel. There were also readings from Simon Stranger’s novel De som ikke finnes (The people who do not exist). The cooperation with the Museum of Science and Technology proved

We held

a success and the event attracted many visitors. In connection with the museum exhibition, we also plan to implement an educational programme for lower secondary school students in cooperation with the author in spring 2015. The exhibition will move to Bergen in spring 2015 and to Trondheim in the autumn. The project has helped to bring information about the situation of paperless immigrants into the public domain, and has demonstrated the need for regularisation and work permits for this group.

11 human libraries. We ran 11 awareness-raising courses. Show Racism the Red Card visited 35 schools. We established 15 new racism-free zones.

Refugee reception centres

During 2014 NPA negotiated two new contracts to operate reception centres for asylum-seekers and renewed agreements to continue to operate another reception centre. This included an operating agreement for the largest reception centre, which is a refugee transit centre with room for up to 800 people at Haslemoen in Våler in Hedmark. This demonstrates that NPA can still be competitive in a market that is subject to a public tendering system and is heavily influenced by commercial interests.

Number of residents in our reception centres:

1,600

averages around (capacity 1,800 beds) Number of new racism-free zones in 2014:

15 including major zones such as the municipality of Fredrikstad with over 70 units.

Number of followers of “Fordommer Fordummer” (Anti-Prejudice campaign) on Facebook:

More than

27,000

Around 1,000 minors were assigned a representative. We have 85 active representatives on call. We trained 80 representatives for minors.

Photo: Marte Høiby

DEMANDED A SOLUTION FOR HUNGRY ASYLUM-SEEKERS “Residents of the Jølster reception centre go to bed hungry. With less than NOK 2,000 a month for daily expenses, they just can’t make ends meet,” Jølster reception centre manager told the press in 2014. NPA demanded that economic benefits be increased. Firda and NRK Sogn og Fjordane ran several news stories and reports about the residents of Jølster reception centre, which is run by Norwegian People’s Aid. A doctor affiliated with the residents sent a medical memorandum to the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) explaining that two of the residents were suffering from malnutrition and should receive increased funding for food. A senior researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Consumer Research, Elling Borgeraas, also told NRK that “just under NOK 2,000 is simply not enough”.

Our Refugee Reception Service

assisted 1,113 quota refugees and 539 family reunification refugees.

The media coverage generated a great deal of public interest and commitment. While some members of the public showed up at the reception centre with food and financial aid for the residents, others filled the comments sections on websites with hate speech and statements such as: “Go home if you don’t like it here.” Asylum seekers lose a significant amount of economic support if their asylum application is finally rejected. This puts individual residents in a difficult financial situation, where NOK 1,960 is expected to cover food, clothing, transportation and medical care. It also creates internal differences at the reception centres. Residents who have received a final rejection often isolate themselves because they cannot afford to go out.

of gross persecution and fear of further abuse on their return to their home country. Some fear the shame that comes with being a victim of abuse; this is especially true of women who have been raped. Others fear that they or their family may become victims of random bombings and be arbitrarily affected by hostilities because of the general security situation in their homeland. The fact that these people have been denied asylum because the Norwegian authorities do not consider them to be at risk of further persecution does not alter the fact that many asylum-seekers have a harrowing background behind them. It is also clear that some of these “paperless” people have been rejected even though they are considered to be in need of protection by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

The managers at NPA’s reception centres around the country report that this group seems to be particularly vulnerable to mental illness.

Whatever the reason people have been displaced and cannot return to their home country, they should be treated with dignity.

The idea that these rates need to be kept low to force residents out of the country, and saying things like “why don’t they just go home?” is a crass simplification of reality. Asylum-seekers who have had their applications rejected are a diverse group. Some tell

NPA believes that asylum-seekers should be given equal living conditions with other citizens receiving social benefits and that all residents should receive an equal amount, regardless of their status in the asylum case.

DEVELOPMENT NPA encourages broad mobilisation for equitable distribution of power and resources and believes that Norway should pursue a development policy that

Photo: Liv Tørres

Photo: Henrik Stabell

promotes equitable distribution.

Democratisation and equitable distribution of power and resources Mobilisation for fair distribution and democracy has to start at grass-roots level. Through the joint efforts of “the man in the street” and not just the elite, collective bargaining, transparency and access to independent information, we can find solutions to how power and resources should be distributed. Only in this way can we combat the major differences we see emerging worldwide.

People can make a difference

When people join together, they can influence policy. We see this in many countries. In Mozambique and Cambodia, farmers organised negotiations with businesses and the authorities to enforce their right to use the land. In Iraq, a new law was proposed in the Kurdish parliament after the people had mobilised and lobbied to earmark oil revenues for the benefit of future generations. In Zimbabwe, miners and organisations representing

owners of small businesses in the informal economy forged alliances and organised campaigns. At long last, the Zimbabwean government is gradually beginning to acknowledge these demands and is decriminalising certain activities. In Bolivia, women mobilised and managed to get more women involved in politics.

to the debate on development policy. Inequality Watch made it clear that restricting development policy goals to economic growth or raising a population over an arbitrary poverty line is simply too narrow an approach. What is needed is a clear prioritisation of the distribution of power and resources.

Collective campaigns

When Thomas Piketty visited Norway in December 2014 in connection with the launch of the Norwegian translation of his book Capital in the Twenty-First Century, he was presented with a copy of Inequality Watch I.

NPA supports people who get organised and participate in collective campaigns and processes to achieve democracy and fairer distribution of power and resources. We work with organisations representing such groups, including membership-based or other organisations who work for and with under-represented groups and communities.

Inequality Watch II

In 2014 we worked on the follow-up to the first Inequality Watch, which NPA published in 2012 as a contribution

80%

62% Spain

73%

Vietnam

Unemployment among young people:

Norway How many times more the richest 10% earn than the poorest 10% in a country:

Women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings:

Norway

Inequality Watch II, which was published in March 2015, highlights the growing concentration of wealth and economic power and the way in which this can undermine democracy. In the

6 18 9

times

Norway

Spain

Vietnam

56% Spain

Vietnam

Gross domestic product:

66,520 31,850 5,030 Norway

Spain

Vietnam

Photo: Henrik Stabell

Photo: Rosina Ynzenga

report, we examine which measures have really helped to reduce inequality, and look at the experiences of Ecuador and Norway. We also consider the role inequality has played in the extensive protest movements in Egypt, Tunisia and Spain. The report further addresses inequality in Vietnam and the role this plays in an emerging civil society.

In Inequality Watch II, NPA proposes a platform for the reduction of inequality, with five calls to action: 1. Strengthening of organisations that challenge the Inequ concentration of power and resources ality Watc h ll 2. Promotion of collectively negotiated solutions 3. Prioritisation of measures to reduce inequality 4. Facilitation of transparency and rights of inspection 5. Sharing of analyses and information on inequality

POLITICAL COOPERATION with the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees In 2014 we also worked on following up the report Farlige forbindelser – norske bånd til den israelske okkupasjonen (Dangerous liaisons – Norwegian ties to the Israeli occupation). Through its political partnership with the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees, NPA aims to reduce economic, institutional and organisational ties between Norway and the Israeli occupation. Key aspects of this partnership include campaigning and attitude-shaping work. One important objective in 2014 was to step up the campaign against SodaStream, and 8–14 September we organised a nationwide campaign to urge Norwegian companies to stop selling SodaStream machines. As part of the campaign week, the Palestinian

rappers DAM came to Oslo to play at the club Blå in Oslo. Altogether, 23 organisations, parties and unions support the campaign demanding that the company pull out of the West Bank, and that retailers should stop selling SodaStream machines until this happens. The campaign week generated a number of local and national media reports. Ahead of the campaign, we arranged an information and education day in Oslo for people interested in supporting the campaign. This helped to build expertise and secure local commitment for the campaign.

Oxfam at the same time as she was acting as global brand ambassador for SodaStream. Oxfam opposes the occupation and asked the American actress to choose between itself and SodaStream. Johansson chose to stay with SodaStream, which arguably gave the campaign in Norway a further boost.

Before the campaign, SodaStream was the subject of significant media coverage, in particular due to the fact that actress Scarlett Johansson was representing the UK relief organisation

The campaign will continue until the company has actually ended its production activities in occupied territory.

In late October, SodaStream announced that it would be closing its factory in the Mishor Adumim settlement in 2015. If the company delivers on its promise, it will mean a complete victory for the campaign.

Photo: Øystein Sassebo Bryhni

Humanitarian aid initiatives

Dalia Terceros from Bartolina Sisa speaking at a public meeting on the referendum for a new constitution in Bolivia.

MORE WOMEN IN POLITICS IN BOLIVIA

The number of women in parliament in Bolivia has increased from 29 per cent in the period 2010–2014 to 48 per cent for the period 2015–2019. Bolivia is a country of major economic and social inequality and discrimination, which particularly affect the majority indigenous population. Women’s rights have been negligible and indigenous women are particularly vulnerable. Our partner Bartolina Sisa played a key role in initiatives to enact a law that stipulates that every second candidate standing for election should be a woman, and that women should constitute 50 per cent of all representatives in political governing bodies. This cooperation relates in particular to organisational development, with a special emphasis on leadership development and political education for women, to strengthen their ability to participate in political work and stand as candidates in elections. In the period 2012–2014, a total of 723 women participated in courses

funded by NPA, 227 of whom came from Bartolina Sisa. The election in November 2014 was won by Evo Morales, who received 61 per cent of the vote and secured a two-thirds majority in parliament. It was also a historic victory for women. Women now account for 48 per cent of the Bolivian Parliament, as opposed to 29 per cent in the previous term. The fact that 30 out of the 80 elected women come from Bartolina Sisa is testament to the importance of this work.

Emergency humanitarian relief:

NOK 100 million

PHASING OUT OF ACTIVITIES IN CHILE

NPA has supported social organisations in Chile since 1985. In recent years, the programme has been gradually wound down and 2014 was the final year of activities. Identidad Territorial Lafkenche (ITL), which represents and organises the indigenous Mapuche-Lafkenche population along a coastline of over 1,000 km in the south of Chile, has been our sole partner since 2012. The indigenous population is fighting for its traditional rights to use of the ocean and coastline to safeguard its livelihood and preserve its cultural and spiritual traditions. In 2008 a law securing rights for the Mapuche-Lafkenche people was adopted; however, implementation

Number of programme countries:

Number of partners:

380

290 million to

long-term development partnerships

was delayed by the then government. In 2014 ITL initiated a dialogue with the new government to enact the law. Agreement has been reached on some key points and negotiations will continue in 2015. The partnership between NPA and ITL has prioritised strengthening ITL’s organisational structures and work. In recent years, the focus has been on ensuring that the phasing out of NPA’s support would have as little impact as possible on the organisation’s achievements, as well as on identifying initiatives to enable ITL to continue on its own.

Ethnic minorities in Vietnam have strengthened their rights of ownership of forests. Changes to land legislation in Vietnam started before 2010, where the rights of minorities to their traditional lands has been a key focus area. NPA’s partner SPERI (the Social Policy Ecology Research Institute) is working to strengthen the dialogue between the authorities and ethnic minorities in order to secure small farmers access to forest land. A number of key principles are covered by the new law: The religious significance of rural areas has been recognised, the responsibilities of the authorities with regard to adopting settlement and agricultural policies in accordance with the traditional

customs and practices of ethnic minorities have been defined, and the rights of local communities with regard to protection of forest areas have been clarified. The process has secured recognition of the rights of ethnic minorities to forest areas. The demarcation and purchase of forest land carried out by local governments, indigenous peoples and SPERI have achieved the following results: • 2,063 hectares of forest have been assigned to indigenous communities. • 274 land disputes have been resolved. • Guidelines for the assignment of forest areas based on the codetermination of local communities have been drawn up. • Forest mapping, land surveys, demarcation, land use planning and dispute resolution have been officially recognised in the provinces of Lao Cai and Nghe An.

Photo: Tor Henrik Andersen

One of the steps in this process was to build a dedicated home for the organisation with support from both NPA and the villages organised under ITL. The building has offices, meeting rooms and eight bedrooms for visiting leaders who need to perform administrative tasks or attend meetings. There is also a small shop selling arts and crafts articles. ITL also receives income from renting out its meeting rooms to other organisations.

ENACTING THE LAND RIGHTS OF VIETNAM’S MINORITIES

Vietnam’s new land legislation recognises the land rights of ethnic minorities. The organisation SPERI, one of NPA’s partners in Vietnam, has played a key role in achieving these and other important legislative changes.

2014 – a year of crisis

In 2014 much of NPA’s long-term work had to be reorganised due to humanitarian crises.

SOUTH SUDAN

Extensive unrest erupted in South Sudan in December 2013, which resulted in NPA stepping up its humanitarian initiatives in the country. South Sudan developed into one of the world’s three largest humanitarian crises in 2014.

PALESTINE

The national programme in Palestine was hit hard by Israel’s extensive bombing campaign in summer 2014. Some of our activities in Gaza were re-channelled into relief work and humanitarian initiatives were ramped up.

In Iraq, most of our long-term initiatives were put on ice and the programme concentrated on providing humanitarian aid after ISIL occupied large swathes of Iraq, in the process triggering a refugee disaster of huge proportions.

THE BALKANS

Severe rainfall during May 2014 resulted in the worst flooding in 120 years and caused widespread devastation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia. NPAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mine-clearers responded quickly to the ensuing humanitarian crisis and provided assistance to the authorities and local communities.

SYRIA

What began as a peaceful, democratic uprising in Syria in 2011 has evolved into a protracted war and led to the greatest humanitarian disaster the world has seen since World War II. To date, four million Syrians have been displaced from their homeland, and 7.6 million have been forced to leave their homes and live as refugees in their own country.

Photo: Henrik Stabell

IRAQ

Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid

Emergency humanitarian relief

Preparing relief packages in Iraq.

Solidarity also involves responding to crisis situations. NPA assists with emergency relief in countries where we already work with relevant partners. We are keen to ensure that our response satisfies real needs in affected areas without undermining local initiatives. As a rule, local organisations are quick to respond, flexible and better able to determine the immediate needs of those affected. In 2014 we assisted with humanitarian relief in Somalia, South Sudan, Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine and Myanmar.

Somalia

The territories in which NPA is working are disputed areas. However, thanks to knowledge of the local community and a close dialogue with local partners and leaders, we are able to get relief to people in hard-to-reach places. Our support is channelled exclusively through partners and our approach is tailored to meet relevant local needs. • Assistance for water programmes through two partners. 82,419 direct recipients in 68 villages. • Assistance for women’s and youth programmes through four partners. Recipients: 1,050 households and around 500 young people.

Photo: Liv Tørres

Lebanon

Distribution of relief packages in South Sudan.

In 2014 the Lebanon office strove to assist Syrian and Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. With 1.2 million refugees from Syria, the country is at the breaking point, and NPA and its partners assisted refugees who were seeking shelter in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. • Equipment and food distribution in Lebanon and Syria for Palestinian and Syrian refugees. • The number of recipients in Lebanon was 2,661 and in Syria 5,037.

Iraq

ISIL’s advance in northern Iraq in 2014 eventually resulted in the terrorist organisation gaining control over the conurbation of Mosul and large areas along the border with Syria and in central Iraq. The attacks had a particularly strong impact on ethnic and religious minorities, with the Yazidis worst affected. NPA had to re-channel its long-term programme into emergency relief and assisted internally displaced people in the Kurdistan region, Kirkuk and southern Iraq with food, clothing and equipment. We are working with Iraqi organisations that have established a safe foothold in the Iraqi and Kurdish communities and are able to provide assistance in a very complex political situation. • Food aid, clothing and equipment for Kurdish areas in Iraq through local partners. Recipients: a total of 20,923 families and 2,913 individuals. • Equipment, clothing and financial support for Sinjar Mountain, 6 “counties” in Iraqi Kurdistan and 15 in Iraq. Recipients: 11,750 families and 10,662 individuals.

Palestine

2014 was a catastrophic year for Palestinians in Gaza. The war from 8 July to 25 August razed much of Gaza to the ground and more than 2,200 people were killed. NPA restructured its humanitarian programme to be able to respond to the war and provide assistance to the many people who were directly affected by the hostilities. At the same time, we continued to provide humanitarian support to restore livelihoods and adapt education for the children affected by the war. • Agricultural equipment and capital goods through partners. Equipment recipients: 9,982 individuals and 1,709 households. • Capital goods. Recipients: 10,147 individuals and 1,585 households. • Adaptation of education and rehabilitation in war zones through partners. Recipients: 10,199 individuals and 1,934 households. • Adaptation of education and support for children and students through partners between 2013 and 2014. Recipients: 4,256 individuals. • Food and agriculture support. Recipients: 2,272 households and 11,449 individuals.

Syria

NPA is primarily active in rebelcontrolled areas of northern Syria, predominantly in Aleppo and Hasakah, but is also providing aid in Idlib, Hama and the Damascus district. We have been working in this area since 2012; however, as it is not safe for international organisations to establish a presence here, we have set up office in neighbouring Turkey. We are cooperating with Syrian organisations that have a good understanding of conditions on the ground. Local knowledge is essential to be able to provide relief in areas that are constantly under attack and where the political situation is complex. • Food programme through local partners. A total of 59,090 individual recipients. • Distribution of food and equipment through local partners: 9,900 ready-to-eat meals, 3,652 blankets, 500 pillows, 1,600 quilts, 150 cases of baby food delivered to “no man’s land” in connection with the Kobane crisis. • Training of 90 emergency relief assistants.

South Sudan

Conditions in South Sudan are extremely difficult. The climate, landscape, lack of infrastructure and the complex conflict make it difficult and perilous to conduct emergency relief operations. NPA has been working under these conditions since 1986 and we know them well. We plan to continue to help the people of South Sudan. In addition to emergency relief, we also have several other projects intended to help counteract conflict drivers over the longer term and better equip the South Sudanese community to cope with disasters. These include initiatives to promote long-term agricultural development, civil society, mine clearance, proper weapons handling and better healthcare. • Food programme run by NPA. A total of 320,795 people are direct recipients of 8,315 tonnes of food. • Specific support for equipment for distressed households. Recipients: 13,700 households.

Myanmar

Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid

NPA has been active in Myanmar since 2004. We are supporting various organisations in the country’s emerging civil society. Following a start characterised by strict governmental restrictions on support for political processes, the situation has eased slightly. The Nargis Cyclone played a key role in opening the door to aid efforts. NPA now supports projects relating to democratisation, human rights and natural resource management. We are also contributing to peace negotiations between the government and militant ethnic groups. • Peace initiatives through 19 partners. 10,000 direct recipients. • Humanitarian action through 6 partners. 5,000 direct recipients. Distribution of emergency relief in Shikkhan in Iraq.

RESCUE SERVICE AND FIRST AID NPA First Aid and Rescue Services strives to promote safety in communities the length and breadth of Norway. Our basic concept is to demonstrate solidarity in Photo: Ellen Johanne Jarli

specific actions.

Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid

action through clearly defined attitudes and

Saving lives every day In 2014 NPA First Aid and Rescue Services was called out on 316 operations, an increase of 50 per cent on the previous year. Hopefully this does not mean that more people are getting lost, but rather that resources are being mobilised earlier. In matters of life and death, every minute counts and this is precisely why it is encouraging to see that our crews are being notified more often. More operations also means more challenges. Some groups have been called out several times a week and even the most committed crews can find it difficult to gather sufficient numbers every time. This makes it even more important to invest in recruitment and training to boost our numbers. Systematic search methods are important, and in 2014 the adoption of national guidelines for searching for missing persons on land represented a major step in the right direction. Together with the other organisations under the umbrella organisation of the volunteer rescue services in Norway (Frivillige Organisasjoners Redningsfaglige Forum – FORF), NPA has dedicated significant time and resources to help save lives.

Improved quality of training

As a pre-hospital resource, sometimes we have to spend hours with ill or injured victims in the mountains. We are

often first on the scene when some thing happens at sporting or cultural events. We must be able to offer excellent first aid training to our crews, and therefore it is gratifying to note that in 2014 we successfully introduced a revised training plan for qualified first aid. The content of the new plan has been fully updated and organised in such a way as to make it easy for instructors to teach. NPA will continue to revise its training plans in 2015. In addition to developing training plans, NPA continuously works on professional development, and in 2014 we published guidelines for rescuing people with dementia.

New emergency public safety network

In 2014 the new emergency public safety network (Nødnett) was fully rolled out in Eastern Norway. Preparations are also well advanced to implement the system in the rest of the country. A local instructor has received training on the new network in each of our local organisations. In addition, we have trained six main instructors who in turn can educate local instructors. In 2015 we aim to roll out the network in the rest of Norway and training instructors at all levels.

Contact with the national authorities

Most of NPA’s First Aid and Rescue Services’ contact with the national

authorities takes place through representation on the board of FORF. FORF holds annual meetings with the Ministry of Justice and Public Security and relevant agencies such as the Directorate of Health, the National Police Directorate, Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB) and the Emergency Communications Directorate. We also have our own contacts where necessary. Regionally, we are represented in the collective rescue leadership at various Local Rescue Services (LRS) and Preparedness Committees in counties and municipalities depending on local conventions. We also regularly attend district councils for the Norwegian Home Guard. While politicians come and go, NGOs and most government bureaucrats endure. FORF is in regular contact with the political leadership of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, regardless of who is in power. NPA exerts influence where it can, and it has received rewards in the form of increased total allocations to FORF organisations. Nonetheless, government funding for FORF could by no means be deemed to be excessive, so we are still working to boost our funding. One of the areas we are targeting is securing compensation

Photo: Eivor Eriksen

for lost earnings and the abolition of taxes on rescue equipment and vehicles.

Recruitment and new local organisations

Continuous recruitment is important if an organisation is to continue to evolve. Our focus on a training culture also helps to make the organisation attractive to existing and prospective members. Members are given the opportunity to participate in suitable activities and to contribute accordingly. NPA is and aims to continue to be a national resource for the Norwegian Rescue Services. To that end, we are working to establish new first aid and rescue groups around the country. At the same time, we must ensure that existing organisations continue their work, and some organisations need to be revitalised. In 2014 the south-western region acquired a new health and rescue organisation with the founding of NPA Vennesla. In the northern region, a new organisation was established in Hasvik.

Mountain safety and avalanches

Thanks to the support of the Norwegian Extra Foundation for Health and Rehabilitation, NPA was able to extend two projects in 2014. The first project is a mountain safety course that aims to give young people the skills and

knowledge to enjoy modern outdoor recreation safely and considerately. The second project is an avalanche project, where we published a pamphlet about avalanches and avalanche rescue efforts. The pamphlet provides an introduction to assessing avalanche risk, snow conditions, terrain and steepness. It also addresses rescue efforts following an avalanche.

NPA Youth Preparedness and Rescue Services

NPA Preparedness and Rescue Services has 29 active youth groups. An important goal is to provide young people with active and meaningful pursuits. By participating in camps and drills throughout the year, our future health and rescue crews benefit from positive experiences out in nature and can test their own limits within a secure framework. Many of the young people who attended the 2014 summer camp participated in a mountain safety course, which included map-reading and compass skills, as well as learning about wearing appropriate clothing in the mountains. Participants also had the opportunity to try to cross a river using ropes. First aid is also part of the course. Interaction with our adult first aid and rescue groups is important, and youth members learn a lot from attending their training exercises. The young people are assigned different tasks during the

course and training activities, such as being a marker. Being a marker can teach you a lot of first aid, which makes it a popular activity. In 2014 we also arranged a gathering for adults with responsibility for NPA Youth Preparedness and Rescue groups. The aim was to inspire one another to greater commitment to youth work, learn from each other and benefit from the experiences of organisations that have had good results in attracting new members.

NPA Preparedness and Rescue Services

• Provides around-the-clock emergency

response services. • Has first aid and rescue equipment that can be used for all types of rescue missions. • Participates in searches for missing people, avalanche accidents and natural disasters and assists accident victims off main roads and in major accidents. • Can assist with evacuations and support activities at meeting places. • Conducts accident-prevention work by promoting common sense in the mountains and near water. • Provides first aid training for businesses and schools. • Provides young people with active and meaningful recreational activities.

Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid

First-aid and rescue services

Kjersti E. R. Jenssen was presented the award by the Chairman of the Board Finn Erik Thoresen.

Ole Skår of NPA Strand and Forsand received the “Årets Folkehjelper” award on behalf of the local organisation.

THE PRIZE “ÅRETS FOLKEHJELPER” 2014 Norwegian People’s Aid has awarded the “Årets Folkehjelper” prize since 1992. The award recognises outstanding commitment to issues consistent with NPA’s goal of promoting a society characterised by solidarity, both nationally and internationally. In 2014 the award was shared between Kjersti E. R. Jenssen and the local organisation in Strand and Forsand. NPA Strand and Forsand is a leading light for our local organisations. The local organisation has around 950 members, making it the secondlargest organisation within Norwegian People’s Aid. In 2014 Strand and Forsand celebrated its 50th anniversary. Their primary focus has been emergency response throughout these fifty years, and many people have been saved, helped, carried, transported by snowmobile or boat, or found in the mountains. Unfortunately, there have also been a number of operations involving fatalities. However, in such cases, finding the victims at least provides some solace and closure for affected relatives and local communities. Kjersti E. R. Jenssen is currently the First Deputy Chairman of NPA. She joined NPA in 1979, since when she has held numerous positions, including three years working at head office. She is an outstanding example of a great “Folkehjelper”, who possesses excellent organisational skills. She is an enterprising leader and knows

the organisation from the ground up through her long service. She is also an expert on regulations. Her conscientious and targeted efforts over so many years

makes her a worthy winner of the “Årets Folkehjelper” award in our anniversary year of 2014.

Past winners of the “Årets Folkehjelper” award: 2014 2014 2011 2011 2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001 2000 1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992

Kjersti E. R. Jensen Norwegian People’s Aid Strand and Forsand Bjørn Harald Kleppe Norwegian People’s Aid Hadeland Norwegian People’s Aid Årdal Tove Smaadal SOSIT (Study and solidarity project in Telemark) Jacob Reinfjell Norwegian People’s Aid Oslo Nils Arne Hesthag Holmlia Elementary School Joint Action against Racism Norwegian People’s Aid Sør-Varanger Arild Stokken Ester Kostøl Kirsti Kolle Grøndal Liv Rosmer Fisknes Thorvald Stoltenberg Erling Borgen

Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid

NPA contributed boats, personnel and underwater cameras during the search for Agnes Elisabeth Müller in Lysefjord. Eric Johansson (left) from NPA Strand and Forsand. Boat captain Thor Egil Siem (right) along with personnel from the South Rogaland Fire Service.

VIDEO FOOTAGE HANDED OVER TO POLICE NPA Strand and Forsand made a disturbing discovery with their underwater camera when they were assisting the police in their search for missing Norwegian Agnes Elisabeth Müller in Rogaland in 2014. The case was one of the most prominent murder cases in Norway in 2014. Five personnel from NPA participated in the search from boats in Lysefjord. They used two underwater cameras to conduct their search, during which they made the disturbing find. The

police were immediately notified. NPA Strand and Forsand participated in the search for the missing woman for ten days. During this period between two and twenty active personnel

SUPPORT FOR RESCUE SERVICES IN CONNECTION WITH THE 75-YEAR ANNIVERSARY During the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions’ (LO Stat’s) Cartel Conference in Gol in 2014, NPA’s Secretary General Liv Tørres received a cheque for NOK 50,000 from the leader of LO Stat Tone Rønoldtangen. This anniversary gift was used for NPA’s work with first aid and rescue services in Norway. “We greatly appreciate this gift. It will be used for our national rescue and first aid service. Although our

volunteers are not paid for their time and efforts, we need to provide them with courses, equipment and followup. So this money will be put to very good use,” remarked Tørres when she received the gift.

participated in the search. For two of the days, personnel from NPA Gjesdal, Jæren, Sandnes and Stavanger also joined the search. NPA contributed a total of up to 35 personnel to the search effort.

Slight fall in drownings in 2014 A total of 115 people drowned in Norway in 2014. This was 27 per cent fewer than the previous year. Nordland, Hordaland and Vestfold reported ten or more drownings, while Oppland experienced only one drowning accident last year. Of the fatalities in 2014, 100 involved men and 15 women.

HUMANITARIAN DISARMAMENT NPA’s humanitarian disarmament programme adopts a holistic approach to weapons-related threats and the humanitarian consequences of Photo: Werner Anderson

armed violence.

Holistic approach NPA possesses unique expertise, acquired through more than 20 years of mine and explosive clearance and political attitude-shaping work aimed at banning landmines and cluster munitions. However, mines and cluster munitions are just some of the weapons-related threats facing the world. Toxic waste generated by wars, explosive weapons in populated areas, unsecured munitions sites and nuclear weapons are serious threats to human life and health – and to the environment. NPA uses its expertise to deal with the consequences of armed violence.

Our core focus areas

We have identified the following areas where we can employ our expertise to help make the world a safer place: • Mines and explosive remnants of war • Explosive weapons in populated areas • Dangerous and unsecured weapons and ammunition storage sites • Surplus weapons and ammunition • Toxic remnants of war • Nuclear weapons

Advocacy work

In 2014 NPA promoted its humanitarian disarmament strategy to other mine clearance agencies, donors and stake holders. We also completed our work on a comprehensive weapons policy, which was published in January 2015. The

policy provides an overview of the types of weapons on which NPA has specific viewpoints and forms the platform for our advocacy work in this area. In 2014 NPA continued to actively participate on the international boards of the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW), the Toxic Remnants of War Network (TRWN) and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). We continued our initiatives to promote and shape an agenda around the major humanitarian issues resulting from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas, mainly in terms of developing an entirely new concept for preparedness and protection of civilians during conflicts. This led to the initiation of pilot projects in 2015. We conducted a preliminary survey of cross-contamination from depleted uranium and landmines/cluster munitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The knowledge gained from this field work will support and inform NPA’s policy development and attitudeshaping work in the field of toxic war remnants.

Monitoring progress

In 2014 NPA continued its active participation on the board of the International Campaign to Ban

Landmines (ICBL) and the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC). However, we decided to leave the Editorial Committee of the Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor and establish an independent project for international monitoring of the implementation of mine-clearing commitments in the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. This work included the production of the report “Clearing the Mines”, which was presented at the Mine Ban Treaty conference in Maputo in 2014, and continued development of the online tool for visualising ongoing implementation of mine-clearing obligations. Our humanitarian disarmament department also helped NPA to make a well-informed contribution to international initiatives to ban nuclear weapons.

Results in 2014

In 2014 an estimated 28 square kilometres of land were released following surveys or clearance operations in a total of 18 countries. In addition, more than 210 square kilometres were mapped through the effective mapping method for cluster munitions developed by NPA. In total, 62,000 mines, cluster munitions and other explosives were found and destroyed. NPA estimates that at least 50,000 people were direct recipients/ users of released land, while an

promote more effective methods to both countries and to other mineclearing operators, and is in close dialogue with the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the aim of pursuing common goals.

Highlights in 2014

• Publication of Clearing the Mines, a

reference document for the entire sector. • Improved reporting procedures, now electronic, daily and real-time. • Capacity-building by national authorities in all countries under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ framework agreement. • NPA’s method for mapping cluster bombs, developed in Southeast Asia, has now become the international standard.

Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid

estimated 500,000 are considered to be indirect recipients after the risk to their local community was eliminated. NPA leverages its position as a major international humanitarian disarmament organisation to

Photo: Øystein Sassebo Bryhni

Photo: Werner Anderson

Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid

Title

NPA completed its mine-clearing work in Mozambique in 2006, having worked in the country since 1993. In 2012 we were asked to return and help the country achieve its commitments to be mine free.

Photo: Bryan Denton

Assisting nations in ensuring safe storage of dangerous weapons is one of NPA’s priorities within humanitarian disarmament.

MUNITIONS SITES HANDED OVER TO THE AUTHORITIES

The NPA humanitarian disarmament programme is clearing the way for renewable energy in South Sudan.

NPA has registered and handed over three munitions sites to the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).

In 2014 NPA completed mine clearance operations along the 150 km power-line corridor from Fula Rapids to Juba. This corridor clearing was financed by NORFUND. The project started in February 2013 and concluded with a formal handover ceremony attended by South Sudan’s Minister of Electricity and Dams and the Commissioner of the National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) along with other stakeholders on 7 May 2014. During the handover ceremony, the Minister complimented NPA on a job well done, which will facilitate the construction of a power station that will eventually supply the whole of South Sudan with electricity. “Electricity is very important for the socio-economic development of our country, and the poor infrastructure we have is the legacy of the previous regime. Although the country is currently in crisis, we attach great importance to development and wish to thank our partners for joining and helping us in this situation,” commented the Minister.

The goal has been to minimise the risk of accidental explosions by securing compliance with international ammunition storage guidelines. Previously, due to the way it was stored, there was a great risk of the ammunition self-igniting during the dry season. The handover of the munitions sites took place in December 2014 in the southern town of Yei. Several highranking SPLA officers were present. NPA was represented by Damir Jaksic, Batali Gabriel Modi and Sam Onyango. The project started with the construction of three warehouses. In the next stage, the ammunition was sorted and separated. NPA has

earned considerable trust from SPLA and Gabriel reported that 95 per cent of NPA’s mine-clearing employees in South Sudan are former soldiers from the SPLA engineer corps. He explained that the soldiers are well trained in humanitarian mine-clearance, ammunition-handling and disposal and managing of munitions stores as part of humanitarian operations. Major Mou Mou Arol thanked NPA for its work. He explained that the ammunition had previously been stored in poor-quality, grasscovered huts, mixed, unsecured and exposed both to the elements and to people. There was a high risk of the ammunition igniting during the dry season and this posed a great danger both to civilians and to soldiers. The main objective of this project was to minimise the risk of unplanned explosions at munitions sites by implementing the principles of IATG (International Ammunition Technical Guidelines). The project is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Photo: Augustino Seja

SECURING OF THE POWER SUPPLY IN SOUTH SUDAN

Photo: Lise Åserud/NTB Scanpix

Photo: Norwegian People’s Aid

NPA assists in efforts to fill sandbags to build sand embankments against floods.

RAPID RESPONSE TO FLOODS NPA responded rapidly to the humanitarian crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia. Torrential rain in May 2014 triggered devastating floods in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia – the worst in 120 years. Norwegian People’s Aid reacted rapidly to the humanitarian crisis in the wake of the floods. NPA immediately provided the Mine Action Centres in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia with teams for surveying flooded minefields, replacing damaged markers and informing locals of the potential risks, as well as intervening to remove explosive remnants and mines that were found in flooded areas. In parallel with this work, NPA worked closely with crisis headquarters in affected regions in northern

Bosnia to improve the efficiency of humanitarian-aid supplies to the areas, and to help with improving the sanitary conditions in the municipalities of Samac, Orašje, Domajevac Samac and Brčko District. On the first day of their response, 20 May, a team of 22 NPA mineclearers built a new wall to contain the flooding of the Sava river in the city of Orašje. Two NPA medical teams with ambulances helped to evacuate civilians from flooded areas and provided medical support to the local population. The following day NPA deployed teams to distribute food and drinking water to affected households in Orašje and to collect water samples for analysis.

ROYAL VISIT TO NORWEGIAN PEOPLE’S AID VIETNAM In 2014 the Norwegian Crown Prince and Princess visited NPA’s programme for humanitarian disarmament in Vietnam. Last year, the programme in Vietnam secured 33 football pitches, making it safe for children and young people to play without fear of stepping on a cluster bomb. Money from the 2011 telethon was used to carry out the work. On their visit to NPA, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess MetteMarit saw one of the football fields that had been cleared of explosives. “The Crown Prince and Princess showed a great interest in NPA’s work to remove cluster bombs and explosives in Vietnam. They were impressed with the results we had achieved with funds from the telethon, for which the Crown Prince was Patron,” explained Jonathon Guthrie, Country Director in Vietnam. The delegation also took the opportunity to experience a controlled explosion.

DEMOCRACY AND CAMPAIGNS Democracy does not happen by itself – it has to be fought for. NPA was founded on a grass-roots mobilisation and and grass-roots mobilisation force the authorities to be accountable, which is one of the most important tools in our pursuit of a more just world.

All photos: Norwegian People’s Aid

national and international solidarity. Voluntary commitment

Norwegian People’s Aid – an open and inclusive organisation An annual agreement with the Norwegian Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDi) provides Norwegian People’s Aid with NOK 350,000–400,000 in funding for local integration initiatives. In recent years, 12 to 13 local organisations received funding through this agreement.

and volunteers. The report led to a question from the Labour Party during a parliamentary question time concerning what the government planned to do to help in this area. The report has provided a sound basis for further NPA initiatives in 2015.

In August 2014, IMDi announced additional funding for initiatives intended to increase the number of immigrant women in the workforce. NPA’s Campaign and Democracy unit applied for and received NOK 100,000 from this grant.

The year under review proved a very busy year for NPA Youth for Solidarity, with both the Board and the local organisations maintaining high activity levels. The local organisations’ annual reports reveal that a number of local organisations/groups organised an average of one to two activities a week throughout the year, and we have set new records for the number of published opinion pieces, the frequency of contact with partners, campaign work and number of participants at the Solidarity Conference.

We hired a freelance journalist to draft the report Are you brave enough to hire me? The report included topical interviews with a number of affected women, employers, the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) and others. The report was launched at two well-attended half-day conferences in Oslo and Bergen in November/December with contributions from female immigrants, the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise (NHO), LO, politicians

NPA Youth for Solidarity

True to tradition, there was a Solidarity Summer Tour to political youth party summer camps and trade union summer conferences, where NPA Youth for Solidarity hired a stand, gave speeches, held workshops and enlisted members.

2 new Youth for Solidarity groups (Gimlemoen and Ullandhaug), 10 feature articles/printed articles, 22 meetings with youth parties/trade unions, 70 participants at the Solidarity Conference. 34

In 2014 NPA Youth for Solidarity focused on the ongoing Boycott SodaStream campaign and held demonstrations in all of Norway’s major cities together with initiative partners. In October we received the pleasing news – in all likelihood in no small part due to the massive international pressure – that SodaStream had decided to move its production facilities out of the occupied Palestinian territory. The leader of NPA Youth for Solidarity also criticised a TV3 programme in the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet for giving away SodaStream machines as a prize to participants on the show. 2014 was also the year in which NPA Youth for Solidarity’s partnership with the Stop Hate Speech campaign gathered new momentum, with several local organisations directly addressing the issue of hate speech through local campaigns and membership meetings. At these evening meetings held at cafés, participants work together to respond to hate speech in the comments sections of online newspapers. NPA Youth for Solidarity

36 local teams applied for support in 2014, and 35 received funding. Of these, 12 teams applied for support for socio-political activities and 23 applied for support for first aid and outdoor activities.

has grown over the year, both in terms of the number of members and the number of local organisations.

members. We see the same happening locally when we have joint events and meetings. LO’s county conferences and annual meetings of chapters and enterprise unions are important meetings in which NPA’s employee representatives and employees participate. Effective contact like this also encourages more regional unions to enter into local project agreements with NPA. Collective membership is a good source of income for our local organisations, which also helps to reinforce contact between NPA’s local organisations and local trade unions.

Frifond

In 2014 NPA received NOK 701,478 from the Norwegian Children and Youth Council (LNU) and Frifond organisasjon, which offers financial support for activities in the local community. These funds are earmarked for activities in local organisations and are used for everything from outdoor activities and first aid training for NPA Youth Health and Rescue groups to homework help for immigrants and Boycott SodaStream campaigns performed by NPA Youth for Solidarity.

Nuclear weapons

2014 was an eventful year in terms of anti-nuclear weapons initiatives, in which administrative staff

Young people who are active in organisations are well equipped to continue their participation in society when they become adults. Youth activities are therefore about much more than just painting your face and campaigning against nuclear weapons – they provide a thorough schooling on democracy in action.

The partnership with unions, chapters and enterprise unions under the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) is of great importance to NPA. It is pleasing to confirm a strength ening of our partnership in recent years, which has resulted in a better understanding of NPA among LO’s

Photos: Norwegian People’s Aid

The trade union movement

and volunteers from NPA Youth for Solidarity attended several international conferences and training events. Three short animated films about the consequences of using nuclear weapons were released in both English and Norwegian in spring 2014, which to date have attracted several thousand views. During the autumn, we made an extensive school tour, during which more than 1,500 secondary school students had the chance to attend presentations on nuclear weapons. Press coverage was good throughout the year, but peaked before and during the HINW conference in Vienna in December. Prior to the conference, Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow visited us and we managed to arrange for her to appear on the season’s final broadcast of the Norwegian– Swedish television talk show Skavlan. During the conference, there were articles on nuclear weapons in all major newspapers, and afterwards, many of the members of NPA Youth for Solidarity who participated had articles written about them in the local press. By spreading knowledge about nuclear weapons and the grave threat that these weapons pose, NPA volunteers and staff helped to bring the issue of nuclear weapons to the attention of the general public in 2014.

Photo: Marcel Leliênhof/Tinagent.com

Fighting corruption

Corruption in the humanitarian aid sector is a key issue for Norwegian humanitarian organisations, and NPA is no exception. Greater transparency about the issue in recent years has sparked increased debate and exchange of experiences between organisations with regard to preventive measures and how to deal with any confirmed cases. Norwegian aid policy adopts a clear stance in support of this work. In 2014 NPA posted a turnover of NOK 820 million. We work on longterm development and humanitarian disarmament in cooperation with local partners all over the world. A number of the countries in which we operate are near the top of Transparency

International’s list of the most corrupt and conflict-ridden countries in the world.

Transparency important

While we recognise that problems exist, we do not accept them. NPA has zero tolerance for all forms of corruption. We aim to adopt a uniform approach towards corruption across the entire organisation and strive for full transparency both with regard to our anti-corruption measures and whenever corruption is uncovered. Corruption and abuse of power prevents the efficient use of national resources, hampers economic growth and contributes to an unfair distribution of resources in society. Widespread corruption is also an indicator of poor governance and a hindrance to a country’s democratic

development. There is no single simple explanation as to why corruption occurs. Often, it is due to inadequate systems or a culture that facilitates corrupt conduct. In addition, all too often poverty and low incomes can promote corrupt behaviour.

Anti-corruption policy

Corruption comes in many shapes and forms, but all involve dishonest, criminal behaviour. Corruption has thus become a taboo issue, and it requires both courage and awareness to acknowledge that it is also a potential problem within our organisation. We started work on improving our anti-corruption policy, guidelines and whistle-blowing routines in 2011. The policy was completed in 2012. It has now been rolled out in the organisation and is constantly being developed. Under

INCIDENTS IN 2014 In 2014 NPA investigated ten specific instances of suspected corruption or corrupt behaviour. Each case is investigated internally and forwarded to the donor for further action.

• Three cases in Cambodia involving

defaulted assets in partner organisations. The amounts involved ranged between NOK 10,000 and NOK 20,000. Our cooperation with the partner in question has been terminated.

• Two cases in Zimbabwe where

a partner organisation could not account for the appropriation of USD 37,000 of NPA financial aid. The case was investigated by an external auditing firm, which resulted in NPA and several other aid organisations filing joint criminal proceedings with the local authorities. In the second case, an investigation is ongoing into the suspected use of funds in violation of the agreement.

• Two cases in Iraq, both involving the NPA anti-corruption policy, the head office in Oslo has a system for receiving and handling notifications of undesirable actions and situations wherever they might arise in the organisation. We also aim to include an evaluation of the risk of corruption in relevant tools and processes within our administration and our project initiatives both nationally and globally. NPA also has a reporting function for all incidents that could involve noncompliances (“incident reporting”). Responsibility for reporting incidents rests with the various individuals working on our programmes, both in Norway and abroad, who submit a monthly report to the head office. The system has a broad scope and includes incidents that may not obviously indicate corruption, but perhaps fall within a “grey zone”. This creates greater ownership of

anti-corruption work within our various programmes and makes it easier to capture issues that may not initially be regarded as non-compliances in terms of routines and incidents.

Information to partners

Through contract negotiations, NPA ensures that all its partners establish adequate anti-corruption guidelines and procedures in their own organisations. We conduct assessments of our partners’ administrative and control routines and are clear about our zero tolerance policy. At the same time, we recognise that many of our partners lack the necessary resources to deal with these challenges. Where we discover this to be the case, we either introduce the necessary training into our partnership or provide our partners with external support.

partner organisations. One organisation submitted falsified receipts for USD 2,550. The other organisation submitted a claim for reimbursement of expenses that had not been paid to participants.

• One case in Mozambique where an

employee embezzled cash. The loss has been covered by the employee as a result of the investigation. The employee has since been dismissed from the company.

• One case in Laos where a local

employee stole a small quantity of gasoline for use or resale.

• One case in Bosnia, where services were purchased from a company owned by close relations of em ployees at the office. The case is under investigation and not yet closed.

39 Photo: Ellen Jarli

INCOME AND EXPEN

NPA income and expenditure in 2014 e ge rs efu nte e R ce om ion Inccept re

544

123 te d

ono

MNOK

Pri va

Dev co

Public Donors

MNOK

25,6 MNOK expences

net"

Local chapters holdings in 2014: 29,1 MNOK income

"Be

t fi na nc ial re

MNOK

kela gstu

MNOK

o nc

MNOK

ip fee

rsh embe

s me Ga

er y

tt d lo

MNOK

rds

MNOK

d ads Products an

nors

Other do

MILL KR

844

Mine detection dogs

MNOK

Co me llectiv mb e ers hip fee Oper ation incom e al

Income midler Anskaffede

Transfered from fund (Telathon)

Regiona 66,2

MNOK savings

1,3 M

ND EXPENCES (2014) Development cooperation

Humanitarian disarmament

281

e ge u f s e r s R ente e c c en on Expcepti re

233

MNOK

1M1NO8K

8N9OK M

Expences

824

Value added tax refunded

3N1OK

MNOK

K MNO

MNOK

K MNO

ork th w y You Norwa in

rsh embe

hospital Operation opf rogram and health

Nation internaal work and t io n a l solidarit y

"Be et"

ings

k e l a gstu n

ip fee

K MNO

MNOK

Administrati

ve costs

Fir res st aid cue an ser d vice

I w nfor or m k a in tio No n rw ay

d k an wor ee on fug ati Re tegr In

f Aid

Relie

Nuclear weapon campaign

MNOK

Transfered to local chapters

Other

Regional status in 2014: 1,3 MNOK income

1,1 MNOK expences

2,6 MNOK savings

(The numbers are based on reports from 94 of 104 local chapters)

Statement of Activities as of 31 December 2014 INCOMING RESOURCES Membership fees, individual Collective membership fees Total membership income

Notes

(Figures in NOK ’000) 2014 2013

2,020 4,966 6,987

1,996 4,932 6,927

543,813 23,627 567,440

552,125 23,326 575,450

12,932 75,012 0 87,944

27,435 65,103 11 92,549

123,446 1,395 4,000 4,020 132,860

118,798 3,039 3,675 3,116 128,628

407 2,428 2,835

525 3,251 3,777

5,874 803,941

10,314 817,646

9,808 19,483 1,527 30,818

9,935 21,164 1,586 32,685

Expenses for the organisation’s objects Mines and weapons Reconstruction, food and emergency aid Long-term development work International solidarity – work in Norway Refugee reception centres and other operational units Hospital operations and other health care work First aid and rescue services Anti-racism Information work in Norway Youth work in Norway Bekkelagstunet centre

233,384 88,866 281,311 4,763 118,538 5,029 10,371 7,256 9,942 5,895 4,105

265,484 72,105 269,875 5,171 114,805 4,882 7,142 8,687 8,805 7,027 2,813

VAT reclaimed etc. Total expenses for the organisation’s objects

-7,059 762,403

-6,817 759,977

30,726 823,947

34,267 826,929

RESULT OF ACTIVITIES

-20,006

-9,283

ALLOCATION OF RESULT OF ACTIVITIES Transfer to/from restricted assets with externally-imposed restrictions Transfer to/from restricted assets with self-imposed restrictions Transferred to/from other equity TOTAL APPROPRIATION

-40,493 1,085 19,402 -20,006

-39,066 3,338 26,445 -9,283

Public institutional donors Other donors Total donors Gaming and lotteries Donors 2011 TV campaign Total from fund-raising Refugee reception centres Other operating income Mine-detection dogs Bekkelagstunet centre, rental income and subsidies Total activities that fulfil the organisation’s purpose Advertising sales – APPELL magazine Product sales – income Total income-generating activities Net financial items NET INCOMING RESOURCES AVAILABLE FOR CHARITABLE APPLICATION FUNDS EXPENDED Gaming and lotteries Donors Product sales – expenses Total costs of generating funds

Administration expenses Administration TOTAL RESOURCES EXPENDED

Balance sheet as of 31 December 2014 ASSETS

Notes

(Figures in NOK ’000) 2014 2013

Non-current assets Property, plant and equipment Pension funds Total non-current assets

4 12

16,096 2,807 18,903

6,664 671 7,335

Current assets Receivables Current financial assets Cash and cash equivalents Total current assets

5 6 11

245,739 31,879 305,549 583,167

280,153 29,462 297,314 606,929

602,070

614,264

TOTAL ASSETS RESTRICTED FUNDS AND LIABILITIES Restricted funds Other equity

87,907

68,505

Restricted funds Funds with externally-imposed restrictions Funds with self-imposed restrictions

10 10

69,555 25,048

110,048 23,963

182,510

202,516

273,232 5,400 556 37,348 29,345 66,124 7,553 419,560

264,738 14,085 572 46,558 29,064 49,644 7,087 411,748

602,070

614,264

Total restricted funds Current liabilities Funds received for unfinished projects Liabilities to project donors Interest due on received funds Miscellaneous creditors Taxes and holiday pay due Provisions Overdraft facility Total current liabilities

2 7 7

8 9

TOTAL RESTRICTED FUNDS AND LIABILITIES

Oslo, 19 June 2015

Finn Erik Thoresen Kjersti E. R. Jenssen

Chairman of the Board

First Deputy Chairman

Atle Høie

Torulf Mikkelsen

Second Deputy Chairman

Northern Region

Stein Guldbrandsen Anne Mette Johnsen

Ludvig Eskeland

Liv Braathen

Norwegian Union of Central Norway Region Municipal and General Employees

South-Western Region

South-Eastern Region

Elin Skovly

Jorge Alex Dahl

Ingrid Aspelund

Live Kummen

Eastern Region

Western Region

Youth for Solidarity

Central Health and Rescue Committee

Tord Lier

Peggy A. H. Følsvik

Terje O. Olsson

Employee Represenative

Camilla L. Øverås Employee Represenative

Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions

Liv Tørres Secretary General

Statement of cash flow as of 31 December 2014 Loss for the year Depreciation, amortisation and impairments Gain/loss on sale of non-current assets Change in trade receivables Change in trade payables and other accruals and prepayments Net cash flow from operating activities

(Figures in NOK â&#x20AC;&#x2122;000) 2014 2013 -20,006 -9,283 3,965 2,945 0 0 34,413 -154,649 5,211 154,506 23,582 -6,481

Other investments Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment Payments for acquisition of property, plant and equipment Net cash flow from investing activities

-2,417 0 -13,396 -15,813

-5,442 0 -3,241 -8,683

0 466 466

0 7,087 7,087

8,235 297,314 305,549

-8,077 305,391 297,314

Appropriation of funds Change in overdraft facility Net cash flow from financing activities Net change in cash flow Cash and cash equivalents as of 1 Jan Cash and cash equivalents as of 31 Dec

Notes to the financial statements (All figures in tables in NOK ’000. Figures in other text in NOK.)

NOTE 1

Accounting policies: The annual financial statements for Norwegian People’s Aid consist of the following: • Statement of activities • Balance sheet • Statement of cash flow • Notes The financial statements, which have been prepared by the organisation’s board of directors and management, should be read in conjunction with the Report from the Board of Directors and the auditor’s report. Fundamental policies – valuation and classification – Other matters The annual financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Norwegian Accounting Act and generally accepted accounting principles in Norway, including the Provisional Norwegian Accounting Standard, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles for Non-Profit Organisations, as of November 2008. The annual financial statements provide a true and fair view of the organisation’s accumulated resources and how these have been used during the year, together with the financial position at the end of the year. Disclosures are provided where necessary in the notes. Consequently, the notes are an integral part of the annual financial statements. The annual financial statements are based on fundamental policies relating to historic cost, comparability, the going concern basis, matching, and prudence. The fundamental principles for transactions, earnings and presentation have been varied in accordance with Section 4-1, third sub-paragraph of the Norwegian Accounting Act where such can be deemed to be generally accepted accounting practice. The accounting policies are explained in more detail below. When actual figures are not available or certain at the time of preparation of the financial statements, generally accepted accounting practice requires management to calculate a best possible estimate for use in the annual financial statements. There may be discrepancies between estimated and actual figures. General policies Assets intended for long-term ownership or use are classified as non-current assets. Other assets are classified as current assets. Current assets/current liabilities are valued at the lower/higher of cost and fair value. Fair value is defined as the estimated future sales price less expected costs to sell. Receivables are recognised at nominal value less expected losses. Non-current assets are essentially valued at cost. Noncurrent assets subject to impairments are depreciated/amortised. If the normal sales value falls below the book value at the balance sheet date, the operating asset is written down. There are some exceptions from the general valuation rules in accordance with generally accepted accounting practice. These exceptions are commented on below. In the application of accounting policies and presentation of transactions and other matters, emphasis is placed on economic realities, rather than purely the legal form. Contingent losses that are probable and quantifiable are expensed. Accounting policies for material accounting items Recognition of income Income is recognised when it is earned. Income for which no consideration will be provided, for example donations and funds raised, is deemed to be earned when the following three criteria have been satisfied: 1. The organisation has a legal right to the income 2. It is reasonably certain that the income will be received 3. The income can be measured with sufficient reliability Membership fees The organisation receives and recognises gross membership fees from its members in income. Seventy-five per cent of membership fees are transferred to the local organisations and is recognised in the result under resources expended. Donor receipts Contributions for coverage of expenses are recognised as gross income. Where the criteria for income recognition are not satisfied, the contribution is recognised as a liability on a separate line in the balance sheet. The contribution is recognised

at the value at the time of the transaction. Material contributions for which an actual market value cannot be established are disclosed in a note. Unused project funds are recognised as a liability to donors on project conclusion. Sponsor funds Sponsor income is recognised in income in step with the agreed consideration. Where it is not possible to reliably measure the consideration, funds are recognised on a straight-line basis as a practical approximation. Lottery income Lottery income is recognised gross. Expenses associated with lotteries, prizes and sales expenses are recognised under expenses for acquisition of funds. Recognition of expenses Expenses are compiled and expensed at the same time as the activity related to the expense. This applies both to costs of generating funds and costs of charitable activities. Expenses that cannot be directly allocated to activities are expensed when they are incurred. 2011 TV campaign Norwegian Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aid conducted the TV campaign for 2011, a nationwide fund-raising initiative run by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. Taxes The organisation does not perform any activities that result in an obligation to pay taxes. Property, plant and equipment Property, plant and equipment is recognised in the balance sheet at cost, less accumulated depreciation and impairments. An asset is deemed to be non-current if it has an economic life of more than three years and a cost price greater than NOK 15,000. Property, plant and equipment acquired for carrying out projects abroad is expensed at the time of acquisition and charged to the individual projects in accordance with pledges from donors. If the value-in-use and replacement cost are lower than the book value at the balance sheet date, the asset is written down to fair value. Where the sales value is difficult to determine, replacement cost minus depreciation is used as fair value. If the basis for the impairment ceases to exist, the impairment is reversed. Impairments, and any reversal of impairments, are recognised in the same line in the statement of activities. The impairments are classified as administration expenses if they cannot be directly allocated to an activity. Depreciation Depreciation is calculated on a straight-line basis over the assetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s estimated life based on historic cost price less estimated scrap value. Depreciation is classified as an administration expense if it cannot be directly allocated to a project. Leases For lease agreements that are not recognised in the balance sheet (operating leases), the lease payments are treated as operating expenses. Leasing expenses are classified as an administration expense if they cannot be directly allocated to a project. Financial investments and receivables Market-based shares, bonds and other financial instruments classified as current assets are valued at fair value if these are listed on an exchange or managed by a professional asset manager and the fair value of the investments can be reliably measured. The result (return and change in value) from such investments is classified as financial and investment income. Receivables are recognised in the balance sheet at fair value. Pension obligations and pension expenses The annual expense is charged to payroll and social security expenses. Norwegian Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Aid has no obligations beyond paying premiums to the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. A fund at Sparebank 1 Livsforsikring, see Note 12, is used to cover remaining obligations to former and current members of the previous agreement and are not included in the financial statements. Three people receive payments from this premium fund. The premium fund is considered sufficient to cover future obligations and has therefore not been recognised in the balance sheet.

Norwegian People’s Aid also has a pension obligation at Kommunal Landspensjonskasse (“Norwegian Municipal National Pension Fund”) for previous employees at the Kure Epilepsy Centre. The pension scheme is a defined benefit scheme and is treated in accordance with the Norwegian Accounting Standard for pension expenses. Pension funds are recognised at their estimated value on 31 December 2014, see account statement from the life insurance company, and are adjusted annually. Assets denoted in foreign currencies/currency gains Assets denoted in foreign currency relate to specific projects and currency gains and losses are continuously recognised as revenues or expenses in the respective projects as far as is possible. The balance at the year-end is valued at the exchange rate in force at the balance sheet date, and any currency gains or losses are either recognised as income or expenditure in the project or included in the income and expenditure account under financial income/expenses. Statement of cash flow The statement of cash flow has been prepared according to the indirect method. The liquidity reserve includes cash, bank deposits and fixed income funds valued at fair value.

NOTE 2

The following public institutional donors have contributed to projects: The following public institutional donors have contributed

Opening balance

2014 Grants

Closing balance

2013

The Norwegian Directorate for Children, Youth and Family Affairs, Allocation Committee, Youth Work NORAD (Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norwegian Directorate of Immigration Refugee Reception Centres Other Norwegian government bodies Total Norwegian

758

653

25,616 142,331 797 697 169,477

135,482 231,503 3,000 7,480 378,223

(13,859) (121,709) (977) (103) (136,649)

157,406 228,872

USAID US Department of State EU South Sudan (GOSS) Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Germany United Kingdom (DFID) Other countries Other international organisations Total international Total public institutional donors

34,296 33,364 553 252 24 13,713 395 82 82,679 252,156

27,212 47,271 16,807 8,352 3,164 25,506 3,351 20,414 4,903 15,133 172,113 550,336

(44,873) (39,522) (6,385) (1,337) (4,461) (13,969) (1,019) (8,208) (119,773) (256,422)

35,126 31,484 11,142 3,262

Other international organisations Other Norwegian NGOs Finance NPA own contribution United Nations Other international organisations NPA own contribution Product sales Total other donors Total donor contributions Correction from funds collected Resources expended

(12) 1,212 395 424 4,532 6,552 258,708

2,046 1,732 150 10,445 22,814 313 73 37,573 587,909 (11,157) 567,440

(171) (196) (327) (125) (17) (10,556) (206) (11,598) (268,020)

24,705 411,636

25,258 11,389 8,892 126,553 538,189 16,631 6,695

14,589

37,914 576,103 576,103

Donor funds must be used in accordance with the terms of grants.

NOTE 3

The following donors have contributed Individuals Businesses Trade unions Norsk Tipping, lottery funds Total donors

36,580 31,192 6,196 10,156 16,694 7,738 15,542 16,029 75,012 65,115

Gaming and lotteries National lottery Gaming compensation Total gaming and lotteries

12,932 0 12,932

13,293 14,142 27,435

Total from fund-raising

87,944

92,550

2014 2013

NOTE 4 Breakdown of property, plant and equipment

Land and buildings

Fixtures and IT equipment Software Vehicles furnishings

Other operating assets

Total

Cost 1,279 13,917 6,040 16,124 732 2,274 40,366 Additions 10,364 884 105 2,044 0 0 13,396 Disposals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Cost carried forward 11,643 14,801 6,145 18,167 732 2,274 53,763 Opening balance accumulated depreciation 448 10,094 4,950 15,314 622 2,274 33,702 Depreciation for the year 0 2,793 298 815 58 0 3,965 Accumulated depreciation on sold operating assets 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Closing balance accumulated depreciation 448 12,887 5,249 16,129 680 2,274 37,666 Book value as of 31 Dec 11,196 1,914 896 2,038 52 0 16,096 Property, plant and equipment is depreciated over a period of 3–5 years. Land is not depreciated. Norwegian People’s Aid has entered into a number of leases for photocopiers. The agreements are deemed to be operating leases and the total leasing expenses are directly expensed under operating expenses. In 2013 Norwegian People’s Aid started construction of a new office building in South Sudan. Incurred costs as of 31 December 2013 were expensed in 2013. Amortised over 6 years. Expenses in 2014 have been recognised in the balance sheet. Norwegian People’s Aid has entered into a number of leases for its refugee reception centres. The terms of the above correspond to the term of our operating agreement with the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration with termination periods of one to three months.

NOTE 5

Current receivables 2014 2013 International project donors 198,315 253,412 Other receivables 47,424 26,741 Total 245,739 280,153 There are no receivables falling due for payment later than one year after the end of the accounting year. Receivables from donors mainly comprise commitments received for ongoing projects. If funds have not been utilised, they are also recognised on the liabilities side of the balance sheet under the item “Funds received for unfinished projects”.

NOTE 6 Shares/shareholdings Value as of 1 Jan Additions Disposals Return Value as of 31 Dec

2014 2013

29,462 24,020 18,232 2,546 18,232 2,959 1,967 5,855 31,429 29,462

NOTE 7 Liabilities due to project donors

For various reasons, some projects have returned better-than-budgeted results. In accordance with contract, these funds will be repaid to donors. Interest due on funds received Accrued interest on funds received from donors which by agreement must be repaid.

NOTE 8

Provisions Provisions for severance schemes at field offices (see Note 12) Other provisions Provision for project auditing Total provisions

2014 2013

41,949 17,901 6,274 66,124

32,127 12,887 4,629 49,643

NOTE 9

Overdraft facility The overdraft facility has a limit of NOK 20.3 million and was set up in 2013 in connection with construction of an office building in South Sudan. This will be converted to an ordinary loan upon completion of the building. The building was due to be completed in January 2015.

NOTE 10

Net change in restricted funds (RF)

Opening Additions Used balance 1 Jan

Other equity RF with externally-imposed restrictions 1) RF with self-imposed restrictions 2) Total

68,505 110,048 23,963 202,516

Closing Net change balance 31 Dec

19,402 16,343 56,836 25 56,836 36,830 56,836

87,907 69,555 69,555 182,510

19,402 -40,493 -40,493 -20,006

1) Restricted funds with externally-imposed restrictions mainly relate to the 2011 TV campaign. 2011 TV campaign

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

2016 Total raised

Opening balance TV campaign 0 -172 186,263 140,288 104,872 Incoming resources 220,162 594 11 4 220,771 Interest income 0 944 4,231 2,566 1,871 9,611 Used 172 34,671 50,800 37,993 47,936 171,572 Closing balance TV campaign -172 186,263 140,288 104,872 58,810 0 0 58,810 Restricted funds with externally-imposed restrictions include funds from the 2011 TV campaign, a nationwide fund-raising campaign run by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation. The funds will be utilised over a five-year period beginning in 2012. All incoming resources from the TV campaign have been recognised in income. Consequently, in the financial statements, resources expended are greater than incoming resources, and the residual part of resources expended for the organisationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s objects has been transferred from the balance sheet assets relating to the TV campaign. The residual restricted funds with externally-imposed restrictions relate to various other objects. The increase compared with 2013 primarily relates to a testamentary gift to our mine-clearing work.

2) Breakdown of restricted funds with self-imposed restrictions: Net changes in restricted funds (RF)

Opening Additions Used Closing Net change balance balance 1 Jan 31 Dec

Incoming resources 5,039 0 Provision for reception centres 2,100 0 Furumo/Løren 15,724 1,085 Norsk Hydro donation 1,100 0 23,963 1,085

0 5,039 0 0 2,100 0 0 16,809 1,085 0 1,100 0 0 25,048 1,085

Incoming resources comprise donations that have not been earmarked for a particular purpose. The donation from Norsk Hydro of NOK 10,000,000 was originally granted in 2005. Norwegian People’s Aid has decided that the Board of Directors shall be responsible for allocating the Norsk Hydro funds. No funds were used in 2014, thus the residual funds balance is NOK 1,100,000. The provision for reception centres comprises expenses relating to future closures of refugee reception centres. The return on the Furumo/Løren fund must be used for the benefit of the occupationally disabled and other vulnerable groups, with a view to improving their circumstances and opportunities to participate in the workplace. The return may also be used on attitude-shaping measures.

NOTE 11

Cash and cash equivalents 2014 2013 Taxes withheld from employees 7,285 6,639 Total blocked bank deposits 7,285 6,639 Other restricted funds not in blocked account 150,644 172,211 Other restricted funds in foreign accounts 79,918 44,144 Total restricted funds 230,562 216,355 Unrestricted funds 67,703 74,320 Total cash and cash equivalents 305,549 297,314

NOTE 12 Pensions and other employee obligations Premium fund Total pensions and other obligations

Payroll expenses Payroll expenses for all field employees Payroll expenses for reception centres and projects in Norway Payroll expenses at headquarters and regional offices Employer’s national insurance contributions Pension expenses Other expenses Total payroll expenses

2014 2013

100 100

2014 2013

198,179 69,090 39,572 17,266 921 46,743 371,771

186,159 70,188 36,277 17,485 4,204 51,397 365,710

At the reporting date, the head office paid 100 full-time equivalents at the central administration and the regional offices in Norway, 81 FTEs at the refugee reception centres, 2 FTEs at other operational units and 85 FTEs on contract at the field stations. Approximately 2,000 local employees were paid from the field offices. Pensions The organisation has 310 employees covered by the rules on compulsory occupational pensions, the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund. Norwegian People’s Aid operates a pension scheme for previous employees at the Kure Epilepsy Centre which covers 26 people. This defined benefit scheme mainly depends on the number of pension years’ entitlement,

salary level at attained retirement age and the benefit amount from the Norwegian National Insurance Scheme. The obligation is covered through a collective pension agreement at Kommunal Landspensjonskasse (“Norwegian Municipal National Pension Fund”) – Gjensidige Forsikring. Pension funds/obligation 2014 2013 Gross accrued pension obligation 26,830 29,824 Pension funds 20,517 20,269 Net obligation before employer’s national insurance contributions 6,313 9,555 Employer’s national insurance contributions 890 1,347 Gross incurred obligation including employer’s national insurance contributions 27,720 31,171 Net obligation including employer’s national insurance contributions 7,203 10,902 Estimate deviations not recognised in the income statement excluding employer’s national insurance contributions -8,870 -10,230 Estimate deviations not recognised in the income statement – employer’s national insurance contributions -1,140 -1,344 Net assets/liabilities recognised in balance sheet after employer’s national insurance contributions -2,807 -672

Economic assumptions: Discount rate 2.30% 4.20% Expected salary adjustment 2.75% 3.50% Expected adjustment to G (basic amount Norwegian National Insurance Scheme) 2.50% 3.25% Expected yield on fund assets 3.20% 4.00% Provisions for severance payments at field offices Provisions for severance payments at field offices have been recognised in total payroll expenses where this is legally required. The individual field offices adopt various practices, and the programme country’s rules on severance pay, where these exist, determine the way the matter is handled. Norwegian People’s Aid has estimated the future obligation and has a joint plan with donors to provide for severance payments. Fees/salaries for members of the Board of Directors and the Secretary General No remuneration was paid to the Board of Directors in 2014. The total salary for 2014 paid to the Secretary General amounted to NOK 915,946, while other benefits totalled NOK 10,355. The Secretary General participates in Norwegian People’s Aid’s standard pension scheme and receives no other form of remuneration apart from her standard salary. The employer’s contribution to the pension amounted to NOK 21,072. Norwegian People’s Aid has no obligations to compensate the Secretary General in the event of cessation of or changes in the employment relationship. Auditor The agreed audit fee for the annual audit of Norwegian People’s Aid is NOK 381,000. Donors impose requirements for special certification for all projects. An amount of NOK 8,320,198 has been recognised in expenses for project auditing in Norway and at our field offices. Expenses for other services amounted to NOK 890,766. All amounts include Value Added Tax. The fee also applies to auditors other than our group auditor EY AS. Consultants Total expenses for consultants in 2014 amounted to NOK 18.9 million.

NOTE 13 Financial items

Interest income Return on shares/shareholdings Other

2014 2013

1,063 3,331 1,967 5,855 2,844 1,128 5,874 10,314

NOTE 14 Operating expenses by category

2014 2013

Payroll expenses Transferred to partners in project countries Depreciation/amortisation of plant and equipment and intangible assets Other operating expenses Total operating expenses

371,771 169,447 3,965 278,764 823,947

365,710 156,541 2,945 301,733 826,929

NOTE 15

Administration ratio and charitable purpose ratio 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 Administration expenses 1) 3.7% 4.2% 3.7% 2.9% 3.0% 2.5% Expenses related to purpose 2) 92.5% 92.2% 92.6% 90.0% 93.1% 93.7% Fund-raising ratio 3) 65.0% 67.5% 66.8% 68.0% 67.0% 74.0% 1) The administration expense ratio is calculated as: Administration expenses/Total resources expended 2) The expenses related to purpose ratio is calculated as: Total expenses for purpose/Total resources expended 3) The fund-raising ratio is calculated as: Net donors/Gross donors As far as is possible, expenses are allocated to the activities to which they relate. Expenses such as rent, ICT, insurance and fixtures and furnishings relating to more than one activity are allocated to activities according to full-time equivalents and volume. These expenses amounted to NOK 17.4 million in 2014. Under the provisional accounting standard for non-profit organisations, administration expenses are the activities performed to run the organisation that cannot be directly allocated to particular activities. Administration covers expenses at the head office in Norway relating to the Board of Directors, Secretary General and her staff, HR, finance and accounting, and amounted to NOK 30.7 million in 2014.

NOTE 16

Related parties At Norwegian People’s Aid, the term “related parties» is defined as the Board of Directors, management and other employees, together with trade unions affiliated with the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions. In 2014 Norwegian People’s Aid received NOK 12.4 million from trade unions affiliated with the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions. There were no other relevant transactions with the other related parties.

Oslo, 19 June 2015

Finn Erik Thoresen Kjersti E. R. Jenssen

Chairman of the Board

First Deputy Chairman

Atle Høie

Torulf Mikkelsen

Second Deputy Chairman

Northern Region

Stein Guldbrandsen Anne Mette Johnsen

Ludvig Eskeland

Liv Braathen

Norwegian Union of Central Norway Region Municipal and General Employees

South-Western Region

South-Eastern Region

Elin Skovly

Jorge Alex Dahl

Ingrid Aspelund

Live Kummen

Eastern Region

Western Region

Youth for Solidarity

Central Health and Rescue Committee

Tord Lier

Peggy A. H. Følsvik

Terje O. Olsson

Employee Represenative

Camilla L. Øverås Employee Represenative

Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions

Liv Tørres Secretary General

Annual report of the Board of Directors, 2014 Norwegian People’s Aid (NPA) is the labour movement’s humanitarian organisation for solidarity. NPA works to improve living conditions of vulnerable groups of people and contributing to a fairer society, both in Norway and abroad. NPA is a membership organisation with four main focus areas: (a) First-aid and rescue services (b) Refugee, asylum and integration work (c) Work on mines and explosives (d) Long-term development work The work is organised into two core areas: • Safeguarding life and health • Fair distribution of power and resources A large share of activities in Norway is based on the members’ voluntary efforts. The first aid and rescue service is a mainstay of voluntary national emergency arrangements in Norway. Nationally, NPA also engages in refugee and integration work and international solidarity work. As of 31 December 2014, NPA was active in 40 countries in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and South America. NPA is currently one of the world’s largest humanitarian organisations working on cluster bomb and mine clearance.

I ORGANISATION Members and local organisations At the end of the year, the organisation had 12,065 members spread over 104 local organisations, 2,135 of whom were members under the age of 26 (counting members for measuring support from the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Equality). The 2011 National Conference adopted several organisational changes, including the splitting of youth members into two separate target groups, each with their own internal organisation within NPA. Internally and externally, both Youth for Solidarity and Youth Health and Rescue are growing and strengthening as youth movements. Improving recruitment for local organisations by developing a number of fixed concepts represented a key area in 2014. These concepts will be rolled out in 2015. We have also done at lot of work to raise our local profile, for example by sending out suggestions for readers’ letters and campaigns that can be implemented locally. Throughout the year, we focused on establishing new local organisations, in accordance with the Board of Directors’ resolution. We conducted a survey of all the municipalities in Norway to identify locations with particular development potential. This work will continue in 2015. Seven new local organisations were established in 2014, NPA Hitra, NPA Vennesla, NPA Kristiania, NPA Hasvik, NPA Youth for Solidarity Tromsø, NPA Youth for Solidarity Ullandhaug and NPA Youth for Solidarity Gimlemoen. Composition and work of the Board of Directors As of 31 December 2014, the Board of Directors comprised: Chairman of the Board of Directors First Deputy Chairman Second Deputy Chairman Northern Region Central Region South-Western Region South-Eastern Region Eastern Region Western Region Youth for Solidarity Central Health and Rescue Committee

Finn Erik Thoresen Kjersti E.R. Jenssen Atle Høie Torulf Mikkelsen Anne Mette Johnsen Ludvig Eskeland Liv Braathen Elin Skovly Jorge Alex Dahl Ingrid Rostad Live Kummen

Employee representative Employee representative Collective members: Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees

Tord Lier Camilla Lillevold-Øverås

Peggy Hessen Følsvik Terje O. Olsson Stein Guldbrandsen

The Board of Directors held four meetings in 2014, while the Audit Committee held two meetings. In addition, the Executive Committee, which consists of the Chairman of the Board of Directors and the two deputy chairmen, held eight meetings. In September, the Board of Directors and the local organisations attended a Dialogue Conference with the aim of reinforcing contact and maintaining a closer dialogue.

Administration NPA is headquartered in Oslo. Liv Tørres was Secretary General throughout the reporting period. Restructuring In 2012 head office completed a restructuring of the administration function in order to improve short- and long-term finances, and to secure better control and management, as well as to achieve a clearer allocation of duties.

RESULTS FOR 2014

Financial highlights The Board has prepared the financial statements for 2014 based on the going-concern assumption. The annual financial statements cover the non-profit organisation known as NPA, which is an association whose object does not comprise financial gain. The annual financial statements do not reflect the local organisations’ financial statements. The result on activities for the year was a loss of NOK 20 million, compared with a loss of NOK 9.3 million in 2013. Incoming resources for the year totalled NOK 803.9 million, compared with NOK 817.6 million in 2013. The operating loss of NOK 20 million will be appropriated as follows: NOK 40.5 million will be transferred from restricted funds with externally-imposed restrictions, NOK 1.1 million will be transferred to restricted funds with internally-imposed restrictions and NOK 19.4 million will be transferred to other equity. As of 31 December 2014, total restricted funds amounted to NOK 182.5 million, compared with NOK 202.5 million in 2013. Other equity at the reporting date amounted to NOK 87.9 million, compared with NOK 68.5 million in 2013. In case 7.3.2013, the Board adopted a resolution on assessment of the desired level of NPA’s restricted funds. The analysis attached to the case documents indicated that the restricted funds, and particularly Other (unrestricted) Equity, were too low. The Board therefore decided that Other Equity should equate to at least 10 per cent of turnover. Significant improvements have been made in this regard over the last three years. Thanks to the overall surplus for the year, other equity had risen to 10.7 per cent at the end of 2014. In 2011 NPA elected to recognise the amount raised from the 2011 TV campaign of approximately NOK 220 million as liabilities in the balance sheet (current and non-current) and subsequently to recognise the funds in income in 2011 and 2012 as they were spent. In 2013 the policy was changed to recognising the funds in the year in which they were raised. In other words, the funds generated in 2011 were added to restricted funds with externally-imposed restrictions. The effect in the annual financial statements for 2014 is that resources expended are higher than incoming resources, and the residual part of resources expended for the charitable application has been transferred from the restricted funds recognised in the balance sheet relating to the TV campaign. The change in income recognition policy is based on a reassessment of the standard for non-profit organisations. The comparative figures for 2012 have been restated. Income from marketing In recent years, NPA has adopted a particular focus on marketing in order to raise much-needed (unrestricted) income. At the same time, we are finding that competition for unrestricted income, donations and long-term donors in Norway is increasing. Financial problems in many countries are resulting in cuts to aid budgets, which in turn is making the “Norwegian market” more attractive to many domestic and international organisations. In 2014 we focused on long-term donors (“People’s Aiders”) and the trade union movement, as outlined in the Marketing Strategy adopted by the Board (case 5.2.2013). The strategy clearly states that “The main objective of fund-raising is to help to strengthen the finances of NPA, by accumulating increased unrestricted equity and increased financial room to manoeuvre in the annual budgets.” Initiatives targeting the business community and the “Hire a mine-detection dog” concept were also launched. NINETEEN PER CENT INCREASE IN “PEOPLE’S AIDERS” IN 2014 We greatly appreciate our “People’s Aiders”, as we call our regular donors. Our “People’s Aiders” are very loyal, and most of them support us for many years. Thanks to successful recruitment campaigns, the number of “People’s Aiders” rose by 19 per cent last year. Each “People’s Aider” contributes on average about NOK 14,000 in the course of his or her time as a donor. Being a “People’s Aider” is about giving people the chance to change their own lives.

THE TRADE UNION MOVEMENT Work with the trade union movement was a highly prioritised area in 2014. At the same time, we are finding these initiatives to be particularly time and resource consuming, which in turn demands significant commitment from all parts of the organisation. The Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees is still the most important partner in the trade union movement in terms of cooperation and financial support. The trade union movement is recognised as our most important partner. Interest in the work of NPA is increasing at both local union level and in the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions. In parallel, financial support is also increasing for NPA’s programmes. Many of the trade unions wish to cover self-financed contributions (Norad, the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation) and want to have “their own countries”. This can be difficult if countries or programmes are “occupied” by others or programmes are discontinued. Many of NPA’s employees attend regional conferences of the Confederation of Trade Unions and participate in the unions to disseminate information and give presentations on matters of interest. “People changing the world” is the annual fund-raising campaign conducted by NPA and the labour movement in connection with 1 May celebrations. The topic for 2014 was democracy and freedom of association. The various activities raised just under NOK 1 million. Notodden Blues Festival, organised by the labour movement, raised NOK 100,000 for NPA. COOP Coop remains a key supporter, and the cooperation agreement was renewed in April 2015. Coop donates NOK 2 million to NPA projects each year. Customers in Coop stores can elect to donate money from the deposit-return vending machines to Coop’s solidarity fund. We are working to follow up Coop and achieve a closer and stronger dialogue with a new contact person at the company. In 2014 we also worked closely with KLP (the “Norwegian Municipal National Pension Fund”) and the Norwegian Humanist Association to establish an income-generating partnership in the years ahead. MIN AKSJON (MY CAMPAIGN) Our electronic fund-raising tool – http://minaksjon.folkehjelp.no – which was launched in 2013, has proved to be a sound investment. Individuals, companies and trade unions that have chosen to start their own fund-raising for selected purposes have so far raised a total of just under NOK 3 million. DE 10 HUMANITÆRE (10 HUMANITARIAN ORGANISATIONS) NPA maintained a strong partnership with the other 10H organisations in 2014. The partnership had three main priorities: - Political influence on Norwegian gaming policy, - Work to maintain 10H’s share of lottery profits, and - Gaming cooperation between Norsk Tipping (NT) and 10H. Following the change in the Norwegian government in autumn 2013, the consultation procedure on a new allocation of the 18 per cent of Norsk Tipping’s profits that go to humanitarian and socially-beneficial organisations was shelved. Under new political leadership, the Norwegian Ministry of Culture chose to prioritise amendment of the lottery regulations before considering any change to the distribution formula for Norsk Tipping’s profits. The 10H cooperation has allowed NPA to enjoy a close and efficient cooperation with the Ministry of Culture on this matter.

III

ACTIVITIES

NPA’s core activities are divided into two main areas: securing fair distribution of power and resources and safeguarding life and health. Work is performed in both these areas, both in Norway and abroad. Norway The national strategy for the period 2012–2015 attaches importance to activities relating to first aid and rescue services, inclusion of minorities and work with refugees, as well as activities linked to international issues, with a view to strengthening international solidarity initiatives. As of 31 December 2014, we had 60 operational search and rescue groups distributed across all parts of Norway. We have 2,000 authorised search and rescue group members. In 2014 we participated in 316 rescue operations. The organisation arranged courses involving more than 10,000 training hours. The first aid and rescue service raised its profile during the reporting period. We were particularly pleased to report growth in both activities and in the number of organisations and groups. Course activities are increasing both locally and regionally, while participation in headquarters courses, which represent our highest level of training of managers and instructors, is also rising. We are establishing new groups with a more specialised and operational mandate. In terms of first aid, we have strengthened the organisation through a) a project for treating patients away from roads and b) a first-aid project for dealing with illness and injury among the elderly. The First Aid and Rescue Professional Conference also focused strongly on first aid/emergency medicine. In 2014 we published a special handbook for the rescue service on handling people with dementia. Our operational services combine serving as an organised rescue resource with providing patient-targeted initiatives. It is this fundamental competence that enables us to adopt a “multi-role” approach at the accident scene, allowing us to perform different tasks as required. The key elements of our local organisations’ operations comprise missing persons searches, search and rescue operations and first aid training. The actual skills possessed by the various local teams, such as sea or avalanche rescue teams, can vary, as can modes of transport (snowmobiles, ATVs). This ability to adapt to local conditions is one of the features which set us apart from other rescue organisations. On the medical side, organisations are being established that specialise in avalanche or mountain rescue, or operate exclusively as search teams. We expect this trend to continue. At the same time, it is important for all regions to have some strong local organisations with the broad-based field skills that have traditionally been of importance to NPA. The specialist medical conference is a new arena which was established and held for the first time in 2012. The conference has proved a success, arguably bringing together more of NPA’s operational medical staff than any previous forum. The conference was well-attended in 2014. This confirms the importance of creating a specialised, future-oriented forum for the medical services. In 2014 NPA also decided to step up its first aid and rescue service work by creating and financing three new positions. It is hoped that these will boost the performance and capacity of all parts of the unit. During the year, we repeatedly highlighted the right to participate in rescue service work without losing pay. We will continue to focus on this area in 2015.

YOUTH FIRST AID AND RESCUE The number of Youth First Aid and Rescue groups is growing and several organisations have expressed an interest in starting work with young people. Youth First Aid and Rescue has strengthened its profile and has a clear, modern face with its three focus areas: “first aid, rescue service and outdoor activities”. Youth First Aid and Rescue arranges a number of activities including a summer camp, autumn camp and several winter camps. These have proved a success and attracted increasing numbers of participants. Moving forward, we will focus on boosting activities at regional level, and above all ensuring that the medical and rescue service contributes to growth and development of Youth First Aid and Rescue by providing motivated, well-qualified adult leaders and giving young people a much-needed place in the local organisation. There are currently 29 Youth First Aid and Rescue groups, and several organisations have announced an interest in starting up new Youth First Aid and Rescue groups. At the same time, we are finding it a challenge to recruit well-motivated adult contacts for Youth First Aid and Rescue. This is naturally a critical success factor, bearing in mind that Youth First Aid and Rescue members can be as young as 13, and are also reliant on appropriately qualified adults for trips, courses and exercises. A number of measures have been taken to raise the status of Youth First Aid and Rescue adult leaders. The number of activity days for Youth First Aid and Rescue members is growing. Youth First Aid and Rescue held five committee meetings and reviewed 32 cases in 2014. In particular, the organisation performed a great deal of work preparing for the National Conference. INCLUSIVENESS INITIATIVES AND WORK WITH REFUGEES NPA is the only major humanitarian organisation that operates asylum reception centres. At the end of 2014, we ran nine asylum reception centres in addition to the reception service for quota refugees at Oslo Gardermoen Airport. During the year, we won a tender to continue to run Hovelsåsen Reception Centre, and new tenders for Torshov and Haslemoen Transit Centres. At the same time, we were unsuccessful in the competition to run Refstad and Hvalsmoen, and the contract at Ringsaker was ended on 31 December. During 2014 a thorough review was conducted of reception centre operations, including a focus on improved quality under the current financial framework, and this work will be continued in 2015. On behalf of the County Governor, NPA has continued its work training guardians and representatives of lone, minor-aged asylum seekers in addition to administering the distribution of assignments. Approximately 1,000 minors were assigned a representative under this scheme in 2014. We are experiencing increasing interest in the anti-racism work, especially from socially-committed youth. On World Refugee Day, 20 June 2014, events were held at all asylum reception centres belonging to NPA. The “Fordommer Fordummer” (an anti-prejudice initiative) conference was held in Oslo in connection with the UN’s Anti-Racism Day on 21 March at Litteraturhuset, and attracted more than 120 participants. In addition, we achieved the following: • Fordommer.no was updated to include ten new myths • The Facebook page attracted 1,000 new followers in 2014 to bring the total to 27,200, and we have more than 400 followers on Twitter • Fifteen new racism-free zones were established, including Fredrikstad Municipality with 70 units. Anti-radicalisation work started in autumn 2014 and involved initiatives to counter both right-wing and Islamist extremism. We carried out a survey of potential sources of donations, and assessed how NPA might be able to contribute in this context. NPA has continued to operate an au-pair advice and information centre, and the centre handled more than 800 cases during 2014, double the previous year’s volume. The exhibition “In My Shoes” was produced in cooperation with photographer Ole Brodersen. Here, two “paperless” individuals and one family tell us about their everyday lives in Norway. The exhibition opened at the Norwegian Museum of Science and Technology in autumn 2014. In 2014 NPA continued its partnership with the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees on inclusiveness and refugee work.

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY In 2014 six participants from various parts of the organisation made a project trip to Latin America, whose remit included spreading knowledge about and stimulating commitment to international solidarity throughout the organisation. A total of 29 local organisations are currently working on international solidarity. This is up from 22 local organisations in 2013, where the increase may be partly due to several major humanitarian catastrophes, and the situation in Gaza in the summer of 2014. The fight against nuclear weapons and the Boycott SodaStream campaign were particular focus areas in 2014 that generated a great deal of activity. YOUTH FOR SOLIDARITY At the reporting date, Youth for Solidarity comprised ten local organisations and four groups. Youth for Solidarity was quite active in many areas in 2014. The primary focus was on the nuclear weapons campaign, which involved significant local activities, together with lobbying and a high level of participation in international forums. Youth for Solidarity sent delegations to the most important forums for civil society and states in 2014, including four people to ICAN Berlin Sessions in January, two people to NPT New York in April/May, four people to ICAN Action Academy in Berlin in September, nine people to ICAN Civil Society Forum in Vienna and three people to the international conference “Vienna Conference on humanitarian impacts of nuclear weapons”. This has secured high levels of expertise and experience in international-level lobbying, and provided the member organisation with the competence to continue to exert political pressure in Norway based on fresh updates on relative international community positioning with regard to initiatives to ban nuclear weapons. In Norway, this knowledge has been brought to the attention of politicians by arranging a lunch with the leaders of the political party youth organisations, which everyone except the Young Conservatives and the Progress Party’s Youth attended, where they got to meet Hiroshima survivor Setsuko Thurlow. The lunch meeting resulted in an editorial penned by the youth leaders, in which they challenge Norway to spearhead initiatives to rid the world of nuclear weapons. In Norway, Youth for Solidarity has run the “United With Syria Campaign” together with the rest of NPA in order to encourage financial donations for Syria. In April the organisation made a promotional film for Youth for Solidarity which can be used to promote the organisation, and they have participated in a number of commemorations and demonstrations. The 2014 Summer Tour included visits to partners and other organisations who had requested an introduction to and workshops on the work of NPA and Youth for Solidarity, as well as strong participation at the annual Arendalsuka political forum. At the end of September, the organisation held its annual Solidarity Conference, which attracted a record number of young people, 70 in all, which was more than twice as many as previous years. The Boycott SodaStream campaign has been continued since 2012, and there has been a great deal of activity locally related to this campaign. Just before Christmas we received the pleasing news that SodaStream was planning to move its production out of occupied areas; however, the campaign will continue until the company has delivered on its promise. Youth for Solidarity widely participated in, and strengthened its partnerships with, various forums in the trade union movement and the political party youth organisations. Youth for Solidarity has also been highly visible in local and national media through editorials, letters to the editor and radio interviews. The organisation has attracted a large number of new followers on social media. On Instagram, for example, the organisation is followed by several organisations, ministries and key figures in Norwegian politics.

International WORK FOR FAIR DISTRIBUTION OF POWER AND RESOURCES AND HUMANITARIAN RELIEF 2014 turned out to be a year when much of our planned long-term work had to be rescheduled due to humanitarian crises. The extensive unrest that broke out in South Sudan in December 2013 resulted in a significant ramping up of NPA’s humanitarian initiatives. During the year, NPA distributed around 20 per cent of the food relief in South Sudan, which developed into one of the world’s three largest humanitarian crises in 2014. A total of 340,000 people received food relief from NPA. It was also necessary to make some adjustments to long-term projects. Nonetheless, NPA continued to be able to implement large parts of the long-term development work in cooperation with its partners. NPA’s initiatives within mine-clearing, primary health services, agricultural development and support for development of civil society organisations and free media have continued throughout the year. NPA’s new office building in Juba was also completed with staff moving in at the end of 2014.

Our national programmes in Palestine and Iraq were also severely impacted by the countries’ respective humanitarian crises. Some of our activities in Gaza were rescheduled and the humanitarian initiatives were stepped up in the wake of Israel’s extensive bombing. In Iraq, most of our long-term initiatives were put on ice and the programme concentrated on providing humanitarian aid after ISIL occupied large swathes of Iraq and triggered an enormous refugee disaster. During 2014 NPA consolidated its recently-started activities in Egypt. During the extremely complex political developments in Egypt, our partners proved to be strategically placed, and we worked closely with them to try and prevent further restrictions in freedom of association. Our Turkey office, and to lesser extent our Lebanon office, provided the main humanitarian response to the humanitarian catastrophe in Syria. More than 60,000 people have received food aid from our Syria programme, while other types of support have also been provided. At the same time, NPA performed further work training activists and assisting local councils in Syria to function and strengthen their role in an otherwise chaotic situation, through a demanding project with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We also took measures to secure financial support for a regional programme in the MENA region. The Norad cooperation agreement is now in its third year, and it is pleasing to note progress in the reporting capabilities of the various national programmes. We are increasingly finding that people can influence policies when they join together and form alliances. By way of example, farmers in Mozambique and Cambodia have organised and negotiated with businesses and government authorities to assert their land rights. In Iraq, a new law has been proposed in the Kurdish Parliament after people mobilised and lobbied to set aside oil revenues for the benefit of future generations. In Zimbabwe, mine workers and the organisations representing owners of small companies in the informal economy have formed alliances and organised campaigns. The government is finally in the process of recognising their claims and decriminalising activities. In Bolivia, women have organised and increased the number of women participating in politics and influencing the decisionmaking process. In Rwanda, NPA’s method of influencing the authorities through “community score cards” has become a recognised method in civil society, and now more and more people are openly daring to challenge the authorities in this way. NPA is continuing to play an important role in the peace process in Myanmar, and in the run-up to the country’s election in 2015, is actively involved in a number of election-related activities. NPA has helped social movements strengthen their influence on the peace process in Colombia, and contributed to the Norwegian authorities having gained greater understanding of the organisations’ negotiations and mobilisation concerning land allocation outside the peace negotiations. NPA also contributed to the first-ever consultations in Norway on a trade agreement at the Norwegian Parliament: the EFTA– Colombia agreement. Politically, work was performed in 2014 on developing the successor to Inequality Watch, which was launched in 2012 as a contribution to the development policy debate. Inequality Watch II, which was launched in March 2015 (postponed from December 2014), highlights the increasing concentration of wealth and economic power and the way in which this can erode democratic foundations. It also includes a platform for initiatives to reduce inequality. A pilot study was also carried out to examine the opportunities to perform a similar project to Inequality Watch in the area of democracy. In 2014 we also followed up the report “Farlige forbindelser – norske bånd til den israelske okkupasjonen” (“Dangerous Liaisons – Norwegian Ties to the Israeli Occupation”) from 2012. Through policy cooperation with the Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees, NPA aims to reduce economic, institutional and organisational ties between Norway and the Israeli occupation. Campaign and lobbying work plays a key role in this context, and for a week in September 2014 we put the spotlight firmly on SodaStream. At the end of October, SodaStream announced that they would close their factory in the Mishor Adumim settlement in 2015. Our political initiatives also focused strongly on freedom of association, and have been included as input for government authorities in many contexts. Active measures have also been taken to influence the Norwegian Government’s policy on investments, for example with regard to the Government Pension Fund Global and the Norwegian Investment Fund for Developing Countries. This is in addition to political and lobbying work for a number of our national programmes.

NPA’s field offices have received a number of trade union visits, and the organisation as a whole has taken active measures to allow the trade unions to gain a greater insight and involvement with respect to the projects and national programmes for which they have agreements. A meeting was held for all NPA’s country directors in autumn 2014, where operating and efficiency improvements in the various country offices were top of the agenda. We adopted a particular focus on financial controls and follow-up of our partners during the year, both by developing new tools such as the “Partner Financial Assessment Tool” and following up controller reports. A mid-term evaluation of the implementation of the international strategy (2012–2015) was carried out, along with a major evaluation in cooperation with Norad of NPA’s financial management and control systems. The international department’s humanitarian initiatives were also evaluated. The international unit received higher incoming resources in 2014, in particular due to increased humanitarian activities. Work has been performed to boost the capacity for donor work in the national programmes, and dedicated personnel have been recruited in South Sudan and the MENA region. Phasing out of activities in Chile and Angola has been completed. NPA has collaborated with about 380 partner organisations, and, after the phasing out of activities in Chile and Angola, the number of programme countries in which the unit is involved is 23. In autumn 2014, time as spent developing proposed guidelines for a new international strategy for 2015–2019. Both the membership organisation and Youth for Solidarity have been invited to the discussions.

HUMANITARIAN DISARMAMENT Humanitarian Disarmament (HD) posted increased turnover in 2014 (particularly in Southeast Asia), developed an exciting new operational concept and was a highly visible political player in the field of humanitarian disarmament both in Norway and abroad. HD has been an active participant on the Governance Board of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL) and the Cluster Munition Coalition (CMC); however, the decision was taken to leave the Editorial Committee for Landmine and Cluster Munition Monitor and establish an independent project for international monitoring of the implementation of the clearing pledges in the Mine Ban Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions. This work included production of the report “Clearing the Mines”, which was presented at the Mine Ban Treaty’s Monitoring Conference in Maputo, and further development of the online tool for visualising actual progress in implementing clearing pledges (see www.npaid.org/ mineactionmonitor). In 2014 HD promoted the humanitarian disarmament strategy to other mine clearance operators, donors and other stakeholders. HD also completed work on its comprehensive Weapons policy (see http://issuu.com/folkehjelp/docs/ weapons_policy/1?e=3056008/11678742). The Weapons policy provides an overview of weapons-related topics on which NPA adopts a clear stance and forms a platform for our attitude-shaping work in this area. As in previous years, in 2014 HD actively represented NPA on the international boards of directors of the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW), the Toxic Remnants of War Network (TRWN) and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN). HD’s expertise also enabled NPA to influence the Norwegian authorities to continue playing a constructive role in international initiatives to ban nuclear weapons. Operationally, HD continued its work to promote and form an agenda for the major humanitarian concern of protecting civilians from explosive weapons (in populated areas), primarily by developing a brand-new concept for preparedness and protection of civilians in conflict (Conflict Preparedness and Protection – CPP), which resulted in the launch of pilot projects in 2015 (Gaza and hopefully Syria).

HD also completed a preliminary survey of cross-contamination of depleted uranium and mines/cluster munitions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The knowledge gained from this field-based work will support and influence NPA’s policy development and attitude-shaping initiatives in the area of toxic remnants of war. In 2014 HD found and destroyed more than 23,000 cluster bombs, over 5,600 mines and more than 31,000 other explosive remnants. HD cleared more than 16 million square metres of land; in the process directly improving the lives of tens of thousands of people in close to 20 countries.

PERSONNEL, HEALTH, SAFETY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

At the end of 2014, NPA employed around 2,300 staff, of whom 102 full-time equivalents were employed at the administrative headquarters and the four regional offices, 82 full-time equivalents at the refugee reception centres, 85 fulltime equivalents abroad on contract from Oslo and around 2,000 local employees in the projects abroad. Sickness absence in 2014 was approximately 4 per cent, which was up over one per cent on the previous year. Sickness absence for women was 4.2 per cent, while for men it was 3.8 per cent. One local employee lost an eye in connection with cluster bomb clearing in Lebanon in January 2014, and unfortunately we also lost an employee in the same country in May in connection with clearing operations. One of our local employees in Tajikistan stepped on an anti-personnel mine in May and had to have his leg amputated below the knee. In South Sudan, one of our local employees was shot and killed in Maban in the north-eastern part of the country in August 2014. Another of our international employees in Tajikistan suffered a serious illness last year, and had to be flown out of the country to receive satisfactory medical care. No other serious injuries or accidents involving employees were reported in Norway or abroad. A working environment survey was conducted for the reception centres in 2014, along with safety inspections.

GENDER EQUALITY AND INCLUSIVENESS

In the year under review, 57.3 per cent of the staff employed at administrative headquarters in Oslo were women and 42.7 per cent were men. The strategic management group comprised three women and no men, while the expanded management group consisted of five women and eight men. Seven women and nine men serve on the Board of Directors. Wages and working conditions at NPA are adapted for both genders. Approximately one quarter of the around 200 staff employed in Norway in 2014 came from immigrant backgrounds. Within international operations, only 16 of the 85 employees with a contract from the headquarters in Oslo were Norwegian. The organisation’s personnel policy shall secure equal rights and opportunities for everyone regardless of gender, age, ethnicity or any disability. The above is achieved through recruitment processes and day-to-day follow-up of NPA’s managers.

THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

VII

ETHICAL STANDARDS FOR PURCHASING, INVESTMENTS AND MARKETING

The operations of NPA have only a minimal impact on the external environment. Cooperation with partners focuses on the environmental as well as the social and economic sustainability of international development work. Our humanitarian cluster bomb and mine clearance initiatives make a positive contribution to the external environment.

The Board of Directors of NPA adopted revised Ethical Standards for Purchasing, Investments and Marketing in 2013. These will be used in global monitoring of partners to secure compliance with ethical requirements and matters relating to employee and human rights, the environment and anti-corruption measures. The standards are partly based on ILO and UN conventions in addition to NPA’s own principles, and updated procedures are being implemented globally for all NPA’s activities.

VIII

FUTURE PROSPECTS

NPA will continue to exert pressure on the Norwegian authorities to pursue a development policy that contributes to democratisation and highlights whether emerging countries are pursuing policies that promote greater economic and social equality. The national conference’s adoption of a new programme of principles and the Board’s approval of a new international strategy have established a platform for our long-term development work over the next four years. The new cooperation agreement with Norad for the period 2012–2015 will secure the basic financing of the development work, and in the future systematic and targeted initiatives will be made to source additional financing from other international donors. A number of countries have a need for and are seeking mapping expertise and assistance so that they can declare themselves mine free. With regard to cluster bombs, the situation is clearer and more predictable simply because fewer countries are affected. At the same time, the cluster bomb convention is still in a start-up phase, thus inspiring international clearance and stockpiledestruction initiatives. Since this convention entered into force, NPA has stepped up its initiatives to clear cluster bombs in the most severely affected countries, and has established alternative, cost-effective methods for destroying stockpiles of these types of munitions. In the same way as for mine clearance, priority is being given to helping the signatory states to achieve their applicable targets of the Convention on Cluster Munitions for clearance and destruction. These will continue to be key activities at NPA moving forward. Based on accumulated expertise on cluster munitions and mine clearance, NPA now wishes to continue to develop its expertise on both explosive weapons and other types of weapons deemed to be inhumane. This will therefore be a priority area in the future. Cooperation with the trade union movement has been reinforced over the past few years, and cooperation with the trade unions will be accorded even higher priority in future. Agreements entered into with the trade unions place an emphasis on political cooperation on specific issues, development of an organisational partnership and the provision of financial support for NPA projects. Appropriate arrangements are in place to further develop political and organisational partnerships in the period ahead. Income-generating work has been prioritised in the period since the last national convention and will continue to be a priority. Significant preparatory work has already been performed in this area, which is beginning to yield results. The longterm donor concept “People’s Aider” will be prioritised at all levels in the organisation moving forward, and greater attention will be paid to institutional donors. Risk The Board maintains a constant focus on economic developments and stresses the importance of ensuring that the organisation has adequate management and reporting systems. New procedures and tools for preparing budgets and forecasts were introduced in 2012. The purpose of the above was to secure and implement sound controls over and quality-assurance of financial management. The focus on internal control has a high priority, and this work will be further strengthened in the coming years. Operational risk International programme work has to take account of the fact that NPA is often present in countries with a high level of conflict and weak social structures. Guidelines and procedures to address this have therefore been drawn up. Naturally, significant risk attaches to humanitarian clearance of explosives. This activity is regulated by international standards and is thus easily measurable. Consequently, NPA must maintain sufficient capacity and expertise to follow up and quality assure this work. Financial risk NPA wishes to minimize financial risk as much as possible. The organisation has internal procedures for allocating currency gains to its various projects. As part of currency management, donor funds are held in the donor’s currency until they are transferred to programmes. Contracts with NPA’s local partners relating to international development partnerships contain clauses designed to reduce currency risk. NPA has no loans to external creditors and limited exposure to the stock market.

Many of the countries in which NPA is represented rank among the most corrupt and conflict-ridden nations in the world. It is important to maintain sufficient financial solvency to be able to absorb any losses that could result from activities in these countries. NPA practises strict global liquidity management. Financial risk is therefore deemed to be moderate. Credit risk NPA has entered into an interest swap agreement with DNB and has minimal exposure to the stock market. NPA’s creditors mainly comprise unused donor funds.

Oslo, 19 June 2015

Finn Erik Thoresen Kjersti E. R. Jenssen

Chairman of the Board

First Deputy Chairman

Atle Høie

Torulf Mikkelsen

Second Deputy Chairman

Northern Region

Stein Guldbrandsen Anne Mette Johnsen

Ludvig Eskeland

Liv Braathen

Norwegian Union of Central Norway Region Municipal and General Employees

South-Western Region

South-Eastern Region

Elin Skovly

Jorge Alex Dahl

Ingrid Aspelund

Live Kummen

Eastern Region

Western Region

Youth for Solidarity

Central Health and Rescue Committee

Tord Lier

Peggy A. H. Følsvik

Terje O. Olsson

Employee Represenative

Camilla L. Øverås Employee Represenative

Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions

Liv Tørres Secretary General

See page 66 for the signed Auditorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Report in Norwegian.

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We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our partners for their support in 2014 • Baneservice • Compass Group • Coop Norge SA • The Norwegian Labour Party • The Department for International Development (DFID) • DNB • The Norwegian Electrician and IT Workers Union • The Norwegian Union of Municipal and General Employees • The Norwegian United Federation of Trade Unions • The Norwegian Union of Social Educators and Social Workers • The Norwegian Engineers and Managers Association (FLT) • The Norwegian Union of Commerce and Office Employees (HK) • Industri Energi • The Kavli Trust • Lions Club 104-G • The Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions (LO) • NORAD • The Norwegian Union of General Workers • The Norwegian Union of Railway Workers • The Norwegian Union of Food and Allied Workers • The Norwegian Civil Service Union (NTL) • The Norwegian Transport Workers’ Union (NTF) • The Norwegian Post and Communications Union • Sentrumsløpet • Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) • SpareBank 1 Organisasjonsmarked • Statoil • The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs • The European Commission • The Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining • The German Federal Foreign Office • The International Trust Fund for Demining and Victim Assistance • The Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland • The Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs • The Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) • The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) • The United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) • US Department of State • The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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FOLK FORANDRER VERDEN!

STØTT 1. MAIAKSJONEN!

Norsk Folkehjelp og fagbevegelsen:

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www.folkehjelp.no Nr. 4, 2014

Generalsekretær Liv Tørres:

– Solidaritet har ikke gått ut på dato

NPA’s Norwegianlanguage magazine Appell is published four times a year. Members and regular donors receive the magazine by post.

Published by Norwegian People’s Aid 2015 Editor: Torunn Aaslund This annual report is available in both Norwegian and English. Design and layout: Magnolia design as • Production: Merkur Grafisk as • Circulation: 100 • Cover photo: Henrik Stabell

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