Top global development employers in Paris: A primer

Amid its rich cultural milieu, Paris has seen the rise of many of today’s revered organizations doing aid work. A few have even spawned federations with numerous national chapters in major global regions. These groups – ranging from donor agencies to advocacy groups and consultancies – are strewn across the city. Agence Française de Développement, the bilateral aid agency, is located in the east, for instance, while the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development is in the west, Sofreco is in the northern outskirts, and UNESCO is in the central part of the French capital. Some consultancies are even based in the suburbs. There are few regular occasions for aid workers in Paris to connect with each other. The government does host a yearly forum called Rendez-vous de l’expertise to allow an exchange among international cooperation practitioners on best practices and their experiences in the field. The event attracts around 300-400 participants, a relatively small number given the hundreds and even thousands that are employed by some organizations listed below. To find the latest vacancies, search the Devex website, which hosts the largest jobs board in international development. Here, now, are some of the largest Paris-based organizations working on international development: Action contre la Faim Type: Nonprofit Year founded: 1979 President: Benoit Miribel Employees: 2,344 (all missions) Known otherwise as Action Against Hunger, ACF was created by a group of French intellectuals, including Françoise Giroud, Bernard Henri Lévy, Marek Halter, Guy Sorman, Jacques Attali, and Nobel laureate in physics Alfred Kastler. ACF France is one of the five organizations composing ACF International, which each year gives out an award to recognize “individuals whose philanthropy, public awareness efforts, or direct work in emergency settings has contributed significantly to the humanitarian field.” Past winners include outgoing Food and Agriculture Organization chief Jacques Diouf and CNN anchor and journalist Anderson Cooper. ACF International carries out lifesaving nutrition, food security, livelihood, water, sanitation and hygiene programs that it says benefit some 5 million people per year worldwide. Agence Française de Développement Type: Bilateral donor Year founded: 1941 Director-general: Dov Zerah Employees: 1,715 (end of 2010) AFD is the seventh largest bilateral donor, based on its 2009 aid disbursements. In 2011, it celebrates its 70th anniversary and implements a new approach to development cooperation, with an increased focus on sub-Saharan Africa and Mediterranean countries. The 10-year plan also has four core objectives: sustainable and equitable growth, poverty and inequality reduction, preservation of global public goods, and global stability and the rule of law. Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development Type: Nonprofit Year founded: 1993 President: Sonia Jedidi Employees: nearly 3,000 at headquarters and overseas missions ACTED implements around 170 projects per year to address needs of people affected by wars, natural disasters and economic and social crises in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America and the Caribbean. Its activities are in the areas of emergency relief, food security, health promotion, education and training, economic development, microfinance, advocacy and institutional support, and cultural promotion. It has ongoing partnerships with more than 40 multilateral, bilateral and private groups. Egis Type: Consultancy Year founded: 1949 CEO: Nicolas Jachiet Employees: 11,000 Following its acquisition of French construction and civil nuclear engineering leader Iosis in October 2010, Egis said its operations are poised to generate revenue of about €1.2 billion ($1.7 billion) by 2015. The firm claims to be the only French construction engineering player listed among the top 10 European and top 20 international groups. It is active in project financing, road and airport operation, and construction in the transport, urban development, water, environment and energy sectors. Louis Berger France Type: Consultancy Year founded: 1975 President: Fabrice Signor Employees: 386 Louis Berger France is a member of engineering giant, Louis Berger Group. Its consulting teams include civil engineers, town planners, economists, environmentalists and legal experts who assist private and public project managers in the areas of infrastructure and urban planning. LBF has worked with several donor agencies, namely AFD, the African Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Islamic Development Bank, World Bank, European Commission, Millennium Challenge Corp., Japan Bank for International Cooperation and United Nations Development Program. Médecins du Monde Type: Nonprofit Year founded: 1980 President: Dr. Olivier Bernard Employees: 248 Although more known for being a humanitarian organization, MdM carries out development projects, including combating HIV/AIDS and helping provide basic health care in poor communities. It has also been involved in efforts to rehabilitate clinics and hospitals, provide medical supplies, and train local health workers following emergencies. Outside France, the organization operates in 60 countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Type: International organization Year founded: 1961 Secretary-general: Angel Gurria Employees: 2,500 (Secretariat staff) OECD celebrates its golden jubilee in 2011. It serves as a forum for its members, mainly industrialized nations, to discuss issues of global magnitude, such as agriculture, energy and climate change. It also tracks annual aid flows from various donors, including rich governments, emerging economies, multilateral agencies and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Safege Type: Consultancy Year founded: 1919 Chairman and CEO: Benoit Clocheret Employees: 1,200, including 800 in France (2009) Safege aims to be “a reference in the field of consulting engineering,” when it comes to talent, expertise and innovation. It boasts being the leading consulting engineering company in France in the water and environment sectors. Safege’s staff comprises engineers, technicians and design office specialists. The company’s clients include AFD, the European Union, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, AfDB, EBRD and UNDP. Sofreco Type: Consultancy Year founded: 1976 Chairman and managing director: Claude Ungerer Employees: several hundreds Over the last 35 years, Sofreco has implemented more than 1,100 projects worldwide. It provides consulting, engineering and training-related services in areas such as agriculture, education, environment, energy, governance and health. Sofreco says all employees at its headquarters speak, read and write fluently in English and French, with many having mastered a third or fourth language like Arabic, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Serbo-Croat. UNESCO Type: International organization Year founded: 1945 Director-general: Irina Bokova Employees: around 2,000 (Secretariat staff) As a United Nations specialized agency, UNESCO supports efforts that promote international collaboration and dialogue in education, science and culture. It has twin global priorities: Africa and gender equality. The agency seeks $685.7 million for its 2012-2013 operations, an amount that represents “a zero real growth” from the previous budget, Irina Bokova noted in the draft program and budget document, the first that she has prepared as UNESCO director-general. Other notable aid organizations in Paris: ADETEF ADRA France Aide et Action Amnesty International France BRL Ingenierie CIEP Demos Group France Expertise International French Red Cross GRET Krief Group Médecins Sans Frontières Organisation internationale de la Francophonie Oxfam France Proparco Sfere Solidarités International Did we forget any major aid organization based in Paris? Please let us know by placing your comments below.