Photo by Arlette Pedraglio
IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno, and the Deputy Chief of Mission at the German Embassy Jens Hanefeld, signing the agreement.

IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno, and the Deputy Chief of Mission at the German Embassy in Washington, D.C., Jens Hanefeld, signed an agreement to provide qualified young German professionals an opportunity to participate in the IDB’s Fellowship and Associate Program. Through the framework agreement, the German government guarantees funding for participating young professionals for up to two years.

The program is intended to prepare German nationals for development cooperation activities. Germany currently has similar programs worldwide with a number of international institutions, such as the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. It is expected that about half of the participating young professionals will be offered permanent positions by their host institutions at the end of the program.

Moreno welcomed the initiative and hailed the opportunity to work more closely with Germany, a non-borrowing country of the IDB.

“We are delighted,” said Jens Hanefeld at the signing ceremony at the IDB headquarters in Washington, D.C.  He also stated that this is a great opportunity for talented young Germans, as this initiative makes it easier for young German professionals to access the workforce of the Inter-American Development Bank.