Good evening and Happy New Year!

In the midst of our Christmas celebrations we were shocked and horrified by the news of the earthquake in Iran, which killed and injured many thousands of people. In keeping with its humanitarian traditions, Norway immediately provided extensive humanitarian relief.

But there is one picture I can’t get out of my mind: out of the ruins of what was once a home comes a grieving father. In his arms he carries his little four-year-old daughter. Dead. He is on his way to the mass graves.

I also remember another picture: a joyful father who is holding his three-year-old son. The little boy has been miraculously dug out of the ruins, alive and unharmed.

The contrast between these two fathers’ faces is enormous. One is weeping, the other is alight with joy.

And yet both faces express the same idea. Each individual is unique. We all have equal worth. Young and old, those who can cope and those who need help.

This view of the individual carries a commitment. This is why Norway is at the forefront of international humanitarian assistance efforts. This is why we spend an increasing amount on health care and social welfare in Norway.

When I make a personal choice, and when as prime minister I take part in the decisions that shape our common future, there is one thing that I experience as more and more important. For we are often confronted with fundamental questions regarding the worth of the individual and the individual’s responsibilities and opportunities. And my answer is that every individual has the right to feel that he or she is unique and valued.

This is a simple idea, but it is difficult to live up to.

We must never relinquish the vision of a humane society and a humane world. The term “environmental protection” has become a natural part of our thinking. What I’m going to talk about now is “protection of the individual”, protection of each and every human being, however insignificant they might seem, in their local community and in a national or global context.

If each of us is to feel that he or she is valued, this calls for more than public funding. We feel valued above all in our relations with other people. Every day we reinforce – or weaken – the self-confidence of the people around us. And this begins in early childhood.

Bullying in schools was one of the main themes of both the King’s and my own New Year address last year. A nation-wide campaign against bullying has now been going on for more than a year, and it has had results: schools that have introduced a broad and systematic anti-bullying programme report that the problem has been halved.

I would like to thank everyone who has contributed to this. Especially all of you children who have done your share to make school and the way to and from school safe for everyone. Keep up the good work! Show that you care!

But we haven’t achieved our target yet. No grown-ups are to stand by while children are being bullied. So we are continuing the campaign against bullying in schools.

But the problem is not confined to schools. About 200 000 adults experience bullying at their place of work, half of them every day. These are estimates arrived at by the Confederation of Trade Unions and the national association against bullying at the workplace. According to the Norwegian Labour Inspection Authority, suicide in connection with bullying occurs more frequently than accidental death at Norwegian workplaces. There are as many as 100 of these tragic cases a year.

We must put a stop to this. Harassment at the workplace reflects contempt for human dignity and equal worth.

Many people experience their job situation as tough. When firms are closed down and employees laid off, or there is a constant demand to be more efficient and effective, this puts people under a great strain. The efforts to improve the psycho-social environment at the workplace must be intensified.

Tonight I am calling for a campaign against bullying at the workplace. Management must be more heavily involved. Company doctors must be involved and made aware of their duty to report instances of bullying. And safety delegates must be involved.

The new agreement on a more inclusive workplace that was signed before Christmas has a provision on intensifying the efforts to combat bullying.

I therefore invite representatives of employers and employees, the Labour Inspection Authority and the government to co-operate on concrete measures to combat bullying and harassment at the workplace. We will meet in the new year to discuss this. Although much is being done, we can still do more. Everyone must be able to feel safe and valued at their place of work. Protection of the individual must be our focus. I appeal to each and every one of us to do what we can to create a workplace that counteracts bullying.

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This year the EU will be enlarged by 10 new members. The internal market of which Norway, as an EEA country, is part will be enlarged at the same time. This will pose new challenges but also new opportunities for co-operation.

Norway is among those countries with the highest rate of employment and the lowest unemployment, but in the last few years we, too, have been affected by the international economic downturn. Today we have about 100 000 unemployed. Many of them say that their greatest problem is that they no longer feel valued. This is why creating and securing jobs is a top priority for the government.

Over the last two years we have pursued a strict fiscal policy in order to reduce the high level of costs of Norwegian companies. And we are beginning to see results: over the last year the value of the krone has declined and interest rates have been more than halved. If your mortgage is NOK 1.5 million, you will save about NOK 51 000 after tax in interest payments a year. For the local government sector this means an annual saving of NOK 3.5 billion.

Companies’ costs have also been reduced through the considerable reductions in taxes that have been implemented. Business leaders are now reporting a growing optimism. There is a greater willingness to invest. Unemployment has already begun to decline.

The improvement in the Norwegian economy is noticeable. And we expect this trend to continue in the coming year.

Optimism is returning. But if this positive trend is to continue, we must all do our share.

The people of Næroset municipality in Ringsaker are among those who have decided to help reverse the negative trend. They are using humour and imagination to solve their problems, and report that optimism is increasing in the area. People are no longer moving away, and many young people are choosing to go on living there. Næroset has a special official who greets all newcomers to the municipality. This makes everyone feel welcome and appreciated.

I would like to thank the people of Næroset for their creativity and innovative thinking. We need initiatives like this, which promote a sense of fellowship, optimism and consideration for others.

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There is a lot we can do to improve our welfare society, but we also have a lot to be thankful for. I would like to mention a few examples from the past 30 years.

In 1973 there were 147 000 people employed in the health and care services. Today there are more than 450 000. This is three times as many. This has resulted in better care for many people, but it also means that there is a greater need for care in our society.

Thirty years ago 25 000 children had day-care places. Now the figure is almost 200 000. This has given parents greater freedom of choice.

A great deal of progress has been made. But more still needs to be done. And there will always be a need for care on a private and voluntary basis, from organisations, families and neighbours.

Now we are securing the welfare society for the future. Our national insurance scheme is the mainstay of our welfare society, and it will be modernised and made stronger and more secure.

In a few days’ time the Pensions Commission will submit its recommendations. The government will seek the broadest possible political consensus on a new pension scheme. Such a scheme must be based on the following principles:

• It must be financially sustainable.
• Everyone must have the security of a guaranteed minimum pension.
• It must encourage people to work.

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A couple of weeks ago I met the families of some young drug abusers. They had some valuable advice for the government.

We tend to keep our distance from people who sit huddled on a street corner. There is a lot of fear at the root of this reaction. If we dare to come closer to our fellow human beings, we will be able to see and understand them better.

If I am to help someone, I must get close to them.

Just because a drug abuser’s self-image and social network are damaged, this does not mean that they are worth less as a human being. A person’s worth is quite independent of their usefulness to society.

I think there are few people who have a more difficult time than the parents of drug abusers. They have to watch their loved ones destroying themselves under the worst possible conditions. Within a short time an ordinary family can be plunged into a life ruled by hard drugs, crime, prostitution, family breakdown, illness and death.

As of today, the after-care services for substance abusers are being reformed, and will gradually be able to offer care to more users. Health care for this group is being expanded and it will be easier for drug abusers to get help and regain their health.

In the fight against substance abuse we also need voluntary helpers. The many volunteers who have become involved have obtained good results. I would like to thank all of you for this. Your efforts are aiding the fight for human dignity.

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Many people suffer from mental health problems. Sometimes the problems come suddenly and are totally overwhelming. This has probably happened to a number of people in the past year. When darkness descends, one’s courage can fail and one can feel worthless. When this happens we need our friends, we need our social network, we need professional help.

For many years there has been insufficient professional help for mental illness in Norway. This applies particularly to child and adolescent psychiatry. It is one of the government’s main priorities to improve the lives of people suffering from mental illness, and we have a plan for intensifying efforts in this field. This year the government will be spending NOK 3.3 billion more on mental health than when the plan was started in 1998.

My own standpoint is clear: we must continue to intensify our efforts. People suffering from these problems must be able to count on our help.

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Human dignity is independent of national borders. We must always defend the interests of the poor and the persecuted in other countries.

One of the greatest threats to human dignity in the world today is terrorism. It spreads fear and strikes the innocent. Terrorism is contempt for human dignity.

In order to make the fight against terrorism more effective, we need to ask: why are there people who are willing to sacrifice their own and others’ lives to achieve their goals?

In co-operation with Nobel Peace Laureate Elie Wiesel, I hosted a conference in New York in September on the roots of terrorism. Hate and fanaticism, humiliation and oppression, may lie behind terrorist acts. Poverty and regional conflicts may also play a role. And religious differences may also be part of a conflict. But the values that religions have in common, like human dignity and reconciliation, should instead be part of the solution to conflicts.

We therefore need more meeting places for the different religions, where we can learn to know and understand each other. I myself have had the pleasure of taking part in several such gatherings, and will continue to do so. Knowledge of other people’s beliefs and ways of thinking must be used to build bridges, not to create conflicts.

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In the past year the Iraq conflict has dominated world news.

Norway did not support the war against Iraq. But now the country has to be reconstructed. Norway is therefore contributing extensive humanitarian assistance and support for reconstruction. We are helping to relieve suffering and promote stability and the establishment of Iraqi self-government. Above all, we hope for a better future for the Iraqi people, who have suffered so much for so many years.

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The greatest joys in life can rarely or never be measured in terms of money. The happiness that really counts is free, it is what we feel when we give, when we share, when we show that we care.

The good life does not mean one where our every need is satisfied without delay. We have a good life when we manage to live with both satisfied and unsatisfied needs, when we are not obsessed by what is beyond our reach.

In the words of Sweden’s great revue artist Hasse Alfredsson, “I believe in a handful of goodness.”

Being good and kind does not carry a lot of prestige. But I want to thank all those who have a handful of goodness. You make the world a better place.

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On the first day of the year our thoughts are with the Royal Family.

This winter we received the sad news that the King had cancer. The Palace has shown a praiseworthy openness in keeping us informed of the King’s condition. We were very happy to hear that the operation was successful and that he was able to celebrate Christmas with the family at Kongsseteren.

We thank the Crown Prince for carrying out his duties as Crown Prince Regent so faithfully.

Last year a daughter was born to Princess Märtha Louise and Mr Ari Behn, and this year the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are expecting a child.

And now on behalf of all of us I send my best regards to the King, the Queen and the rest of the Royal Family and thank them for everything they have done for Norway during the year that has just ended.

I also send my best regards to all Norwegians who are serving abroad, in the foreign service, in peacekeeping forces, as missionaries, in development assistance and human rights activities, on business, on board ship and elsewhere.

I wish you all a very happy and peaceful New Year.