Dusseldorf
In his New Year’s speech in a Dortmund homeless initiative, the Prime Minister praised the solidarity in the state.
In his New Year’s speech, NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) emphasized the value of humanity. It is “a trademark of our country,” he said in the Ecumenical initiative “Gast-Haus” in Dortmund. There, homeless people and women and men with low incomes are hosted, given medical treatment and advised by many volunteers.
Humanity in response to the brutality of war
Wüst named various topics that shaped 2022 and will radiate into the new year, for example the consequences of the Russian war of aggression for NRW. “Humanity is our response to the inhuman brutality of this war,” he said.
Wüst emphasized that the employees in the country’s clinics, who are currently under heavy strain due to high sickness rates, often work to the point of exhaustion. He also addressed fears of job losses and concerns about the consequences of climate change. The industrial state of NRW will make its contribution to climate protection, but at the same time will also secure prosperity and jobs: “Good jobs are more than just a job. For many, work is also a fulfillment of meaning.”
fight against loneliness
Initiatives like “Gast-Haus” succeed in getting people out of the loneliness that many people suffer from. Anyone can combat loneliness with “not that much effort”, for example with a conversation or a kind word. Wüst had already addressed this topic of “loneliness” in his government statement in August. In the meantime, a staff unit for combating loneliness has been set up in the State Chancellery.
Togetherness and humanity are good helpers to “master the challenges of the new year well,” said the Prime Minister.
The framework for Wüst’s New Year’s speech is based on topics that have shaped the past year. This year it is the pressure of inflation and the energy crisis on people living on the poverty line. Last year, Wüst gave the speech in a Mülheim elementary schoolbecause in the Corona year 2021, many students and their families suffered from school closures and other pandemic measures.
The New Year’s speech will be broadcast on January 1, 2023 at 7:55 p.m. on WDR television and can be accessed beforehand from 6 p.m. in the WDR media library.
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