Getting involved

Internships at the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs

Paid internship positions are offered at the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs throughout the year depending on availability. There are two different types of internships:

• practical internships offered to students wishing to gain initial professional experience in the field of development cooperation and humanitarian affairs;
• mandatory internships within the framework of a university study plan, which enable students to obtain a university degree while deepening their theoretical knowledge through practical work.

General framework

Employer: Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

Duration: internship of 3 to 6 months internship (preferably)

Proposed areas of activity: humanitarian action; bi- and multilateral cooperation; cooperation with NGOs (subject to availability at the administration)

Required profile: student in a field that is relevant to development cooperation activities

Eligibility criteria:

• be enrolled at a university (Master’s level university degree studies) during the requested internship period
• be a Luxembourg citizen or resident
• have in-depth knowledge of English and French
• understand and speak Luxembourgish

Applications (cover letter with CV - PDF format) are to be sent to the following email address: sengager.cooperation@mae.etat.lu

As part of the partnership between Luxembourg and the NGO ENDA Santé, internships are also made available in Dakar, Senegal. The MFEA contributes to the travel expenses on the condition that a detailed internship report is provided.

Requests and applications should be addressed to the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs: sengager.cooperation@mae.etat.lu

The Junior Technical Assistant Programme (JTA/ATJ)

Post-secondary diploma holders can enroll in the JTA programme. The initiative, which seeks to introduce and train young Luxembourg residents in the field of development cooperation, is based on a partnership agreement between the MFEA and the Luxembourg Development Agency (LuxDev). 

General framework

Employer: Lux-Development (LuxDev)

Duration: one year fixed-term employment contract, renewable twice for an additional year

Initial training and deployment abroad: Before being deployed to a partner country of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation,  JTAs are offered basic training at Lux- Development’s headquarters

Proposed areas of activity: initiation to development cooperation; training in Project Cycle Management

Required profile: holder of a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree or BTS (Brevet de technicien supérieur – vocational training certificate)

Eligibility criteria:

• holding a post-secondary degree
• not having exceeded the age of 30 at the time of applying
• having the Luxembourg nationality or been resident in Luxembourg for five years
• having a perfect knowledge of the French language and a good command of the English language. Knowledge of Luxembourgish and other languages (Spanish and Portuguese) is considered an advantage.

Recruitment and application: Each May, a call for applications is published on the websites of Lux-Development and the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs to launch the application phase. Application files (CV, motivation letter and copies of diplomas) have to be uploaded directly on the Lux-Dev homepage.

The Junior Professional Officer Programme (JPO/JEA)

The JPO programme is aimed at professionals under 32 with higher education (at Master level) who have at least two years of professional experience and wish to gain expertise on an international level in a field of multilateral cooperation or humanitarian affairs within a UN agency partnering with the Luxembourg Development Cooperation.

Further information on this programme can be found via the links below:

• https://www.un.org/development/desa/jpo/
• https://www.undp.org/jposc

General framework

Employer: one of the UN partner agencies

Duration: the JPO contract’s initial term is one year, but it can be extended by one year at a time up to a maximum of three or four years based on an agreement between the parties

International deployment and duty station: the JPO will be assigned as an UN employee either to the regional (or local) office of the UN agency involved in the recruitment, which is located in a partner country of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation, or directly to its headquarters.

Initial training: JPOs will receive initial training from the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC)

Proposed areas of activity: the areas of intervention and activities are determined in advance according to strategic, geographical and thematic priorities of the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs and in relation to the recruitment needs of partner UN agencies

Required profile: holder of a Master’s degree in a field relevant to development cooperation or humanitarian affairs with proven professional experience in the field of activity concerned

Eligibility criteria:

• having successfully completed a Master’s degree
• not being over 32 years at the time of application
• having the Luxembourg nationality or having been resident in Luxembourg for five years
• having a perfect command of the English and French language. Knowledge of other UN languages is an advantage
• being knowledgeable about the priorities of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation

Recruitment and application: In collaboration with UN partner agencies, recruitment is carried out yearly based on the strategic priorities of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation. All open positions will be listed in a job opening on the website of the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs along with the qualifications needed for each position and the supporting materials that must be sent with the application file to the following email address: sengager.cooperation@mae.etat.lu

The UN Volunteer Program (UNV)

Luxembourg has been supporting the UNV Programme for more than 20 years by funding volunteers from countries of the Global South in the framework of “South/South” cooperation. Since 2015, young Luxembourg residents have also been given the opportunity of participating in the programme in order to contribute to sustainable human development and thereby develop their own skills, expertise and capacity for civic engagement.

There are two categories of volunteers funded by the Luxembourg state:

• the category of “UNV Youth Internationals”, which is reserved to young university graduates under 26 years of age at the start of their assignment
• the “UNV Specialists”, who are over 27 years of age before the start of their assignment and who have both a university degree and between three and fifteen years of professional experience relevant to the position to be filled

General framework

Employer: the United Nations

Duration: A UNV contract can be extended for an extra 1 to 2 years after its initial one-year term

International deployment and duty station: as a UN recruit, the volunteer will be deployed to an UN agency in a partner country of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation. This deployment can take place in the framework of a “South/South” or “North/South” cooperation

Proposed areas of activity: the areas of intervention and activities are determined in advance according to strategic, geographical and thematic priorities of the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs and in relation to the recruitment needs of the partner UN agencies

Required profile: possess a university degree in a subject relevant to humanitarian action or development cooperation

Eligibility criteria for UNV Youth Internationals:

• having successfully completed a Bachelor’s degree
• not being more than 26 years old when applying for a position
• having the Luxembourg nationality or having been resident in Luxembourg for 5 years if you want to apply within the framework of a “North/South” cooperation; for recruitments in the framework of “South/South” cooperation, applicants must be from a priority country of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation
• proficiency in English and French; knowledge of other official languages of the UN is an advantage
• no professional experience is required for a “UNV Youth International” position

Eligibility criteria for UNV Specialists

• having successfully completed a Master’s degree
• having at least 3 years of professional experience
• being at least 27 years old when applying for a “UNV Specialist” position
• having the Luxembourg nationality or having been resident in Luxembourg for 5 years if you want to apply within the framework of a “North/South” cooperation; for recruitments in the framework of “South/South” cooperation, applicants must be from a priority country of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation
• proficiency in English and French; knowledge of other official languages of the UN is an advantage

Recruitment and application: In collaboration with UN partner agencies, recruitment is carried out based on the strategic priorities of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation. All open positions will be listed in a job opening on the website of the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs along with the qualifications needed for each position and the supporting materials that must be sent with the application file to the following email address: sengager.cooperation@mae.etat.lu

The Junior Professional Programme in delegation (JPD)

The JPD programme allows young graduates, nationals or residents of Luxembourg, to be trained in the various development cooperation activities of the European Union (EU). By gaining experience within an EU delegation, JPDs have the opportunity to get a deeper understanding of their role in the implementation of EU policies in the field of external relations, particularly in the area of the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

General framework

Employer: the European Union through the European Commission (EC) or the European External Action Service (EEAS)

Duration: the initial duration of a JPD contract is one year with a possibility of an extension of one more year

International deployment and duty station: as an employee of the EU, the JPD can be assigned to partner countries of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation or to other countries proposed by the employer

Proposed areas of activity:  the areas of intervention and fields of activity vary according to the delegations that will take charge of the young recruits. According to the strategic and geographical decisions made by the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, the JPD will be assigned to an EEAS or an EC delegation. Please note that EEAS delegations are in charge of subjects related to politics, the media and information, whereas EC delegations are responsible, among other things, for issues relating to development policy, programme/project management and humanitarian affairs

Required profile: holder of a Master’s degree; candidates are also supposed to be strongly interested and motivated by a job in an EU delegation; professional experience, published papers or the practice of para-university activities, such as volunteering are important assets

Eligibility criteria:

• having the Luxembourg nationality or having been in Luxembourg for 5 years
• holding at least one Master’s degree in a field related to the activities of EU delegations at the closing date of applications
• having an excellent command of English and French; the knowledge of other languages is an asset
• having no more than one year of professional experience in an EU institution by the application deadline

Recruitment and call for applications: on the basis of the strategic recommendations of the Luxembourg Development Cooperation, that ensures the funding, recruiting under the JPD programme is done in consultation with the Department of Human Resources of the MFEA. Every two years in January, a call for applications indicating the number of positions to be filled is published on the website of the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs. For any further information, please contact: sengager.cooperation@mae.etat.lu

The Voluntary Cooperation Service (VCS)

The National Youth Service (NYS), which oversees the Voluntary Youth Service, has added the Voluntary Cooperation Service to its list in 2009.

This programme is aimed at young people wishing to go to a developing country to engage in a development project in collaboration with a accredited Luxembourg NGO. The volunteer status entitles you to the following advantages:

• a subsistence allowance
• social insurance coverage
• access to family allowances

General framework

Lead organisation and partners: the National Youth Service in partnership with a Luxembourg NGO and the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs

Duration: the duration of the VCS may vary between 3 and 12 months

International deployment and duty station: the volunteer will be seconded to a developing country in the framework of a development programme or project implemented by an accredited NGO and co-funded by the Luxembourg Government

Proposed areas of activity: The volunteer’s activities are defined in advance as part of a mission concept that takes into consideration the ambitions and personal interests of the volunteer as well as the objectives to be achieved within the framework of the development project or programme implemented by the NGO.

Eligibility criteria:

• being between 18 and 30 years old
• being a Luxembourg resident
• not having the status of a student or employee when applying for the Voluntary Cooperation Service

Contact: for any additional information please contact the NYS or consult the Voluntary Service website directly.

Volunteering within NGOs in Luxembourg

Young people who do not have the ambition to undertake a prolonged stay in a developing country can work as volunteers within NGOs in Luxembourg.

List of Luxembourg NGOs accredited by the MFEA

Among the activities offered to young people in the context of voluntary work, are:

• the promotion development awareness
• the support in the elaboration of development projects
• fundraising for NGOs
• research and writing

Professional involvement with NGOs in Luxembourg

Anyone interested in working in development cooperation or humanitarian affairs has the opportunity of being recruited by an NGO that has been authorized by the Luxembourg State, either as an employee at the NGO’s administrative offices or as a development worker sent out to the field.

The “Cercle de Coopération des ONGD du Luxembourg” offers more in-depth information on the opportunities and possibilities of engagement in civil society organisations in Luxembourg.

Please refer to the Cercle de Coopération des ONGD du Luxembourg for job offers.

For information on the status of development workers, please see the general conditions below:

• Conditions générales régissant les relations contractuelles entre le MAEE et les coopérants et coopérants assimilés (PDF)

How to apply for development cooperation leave?

Development cooperation leave aims to provide Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) members the opportunity to take part in initiatives and activities that benefit the population of developing countries. An application can be made both for missions in Luxembourg and abroad.

The duration of the development cooperation leave may not exceed 6 days per year and per beneficiary. This leave can be split as needed.

General framework

Beneficiaries and access conditions: Experts and representatives of NGOs (except employees of such an organization) who carry out another professional activity, whether salaried or self-employed, are eligible for cooperation leave, providing they:

• are of legal age
• are nationals of a Member State of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
• are called upon to provide services to the population of a developing country in the context of a development program or project that is co-funded by the Luxembourg State
• collaborate in the implementation of a development program or project for which an accredited NGO is responsible
• have the necessary training, skills and preparation for the task
• have hads at least one year of service with the employer

Application for cooperation leave: any application for cooperation leave must be made by the accredited NGO using the form provided for this purpose. Please note that all applications must be submitted 2 months before the start of the leave requested.

• Formulaire Demande d’octroi d’un congé de coopération

Application for reimbursement of cooperation leave: the employer who has given prior consent to the cooperation leave requested by the employee is entitled to reimbursement. The request for reimbursement must be sent to the MFEA by the employer of the entitled person using the form provided for this purpose. The duly completed and signed application form, together with all supporting documents, must reach the Ministry by post and email no later than 6 months after the end of the mission indicated on the ministerial order granting the cooperation leave.

• Formulaire Demande de remboursement du congé de coopération