Become or hire a Junior Expert
Give meaning to your talents!
The Junior Programme offers the opportunity for talented young people of various origin, gender and education backgrounds to contribute professionally to international solidarity projects.
We hire and support young professionals to become ambassadors for the Sustainable Development Goals
The Junior Programme is a Belgian project implemented by Enabel, the agency for international cooperation of Belgium’s federal government. It is funded by the Belgian governmental cooperation and promotes sustainable international solidarity. It gives the opportunity to young European talents and young talents from the 14 partner countries of the Belgian governmental cooperation to contribute professionally to an international cooperation project for a maximum of 2 years. By working in projects managed by Enabel or by one of our 28 partner NGOs the participants develop new competences and demonstrate the impact of their commitment as global citizens.
⚠️ ️The last junior expert positions were posted at the end of March 2025. We are waiting for news about an extension of the Junior Programme so that we can start recruiting again in 2027 at the earliest. Follow us on social media to stay up to date.
In a nutshell
Our mission
Hire and supervise young professionals in international solidarity interventions.
For a maximum of two years the young Junior Experts are hosted by a project implemented by Enabel or by a partner NGO. What we do contributes to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Our target groups
The Junior Programme is becoming more inclusive by extending its target groups. The Junior Programme used to target European nationals but it now is opening up to young people from the 14 partner countries of the Belgian bilateral cooperation.
- Nationality
Young European professionals and professionals from our 14 partner countries - Education
Holder of at least a professional bachelor’s-level degree or an academic master’s degree recognised as equivalent by the competent Belgian authorities - Age
Under age 31
Our values
- Global citizenship
Young talents who are responsible, committed to the SDGs, supportive, respectful, idealistic and empathetic and who have a social and intercultural focus. - Professionalism
Young talents who demonstrate their team spirit and reliability. They are an added value for the project and they are results-oriented. They are rigorous, diplomatic and passionate. - Personal development
The key words for the young talents are learning, openness, flexibility, adaptability, autonomy and critical thinking.
Contact us
A question? You can contact us at the following email address: juniorprogramme@enabel.be
Our impact
Global Citizens, anyone ?
Over the course of two years, junior experts took on the challenge of exploring global citizenship, guided by the Junior Programme and BeGlobal.
They tackled complex global issues with fresh perspectives.
Dive into their stories and get inspired.
Our partners in Belgium
The Junior Programme is coordinated by Enabel, the Belgian agency for international cooperation. In a partnership with 28 Belgian non-governmental organisations
Non-governmental organisations
Each non-governmental development cooperation organisation that is approved by the Belgian State may apply for affiliation to the Junior Programme. This allows an NGO to host Junior Expert in its project in one of the 14 partner countries of governmental development cooperation.
The partnership with non-governmental organisations, which began in 2009, is growing year by year. Currently, 28 Belgian NGO are affiliated to the Junior Programme. In 2019, Autre Terre, Kiyo and Memisa joined us. Then Echos Communication joined in 2020 and Search For Common Ground in 2022.
News from Junior Experts
News
11 March 2026
Enabel celebrates 20 years of Junior Programme
Since 2006, Enabel’s Junior Programme has helped nearly 700 young professionals start careers in international development cooperation.
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News
09 March 2026
How fair and flexible procurement procedures make a difference for international cooperation
Brenda worked as a Junior Expert Contractualisation for Enabel in Dakar. “Applying procedures too rigidly can undermine project objectives.”
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25 February 2026
The courage to adapt: a story of Global Citizenship
The Courage to adapt: Cynthia (Rwandan) and Magali (Belgian) share their views on Global Citizenship.
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News
19 February 2026
“Choosing the Junior Programme means choosing the unknown”
Apolline is working for Trias in Kindia, Guinea, as a Junior Expert in Communication: “it’s not your CV that matter most, but your ability to listen.”
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News
12 February 2026
“Small-scale farmers worldwide struggle to make a dignified living from their work”
From Junior Expert to Country Representative in Uganda for Broederlijk Delen. Bram went to work in Uganda in 2017, 9 years later he’s still living there.
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News
22 January 2026
From Junior Expert to Country Representative: Samy’s journey with the Red Cross in Burundi
From Junior Expert to a country-level role at 28, Samy builds disaster preparedness with Red Cross Flanders in Burundi through hands-on field work.
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