Exploring International Visitor Leadership Program

http://exchanges.state.gov/ivlp/ivlp.html

International Visitor Leadership Program

The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program.  Launched in 1940, the IVLP is a professional exchange program that seeks to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations through carefully designed short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders.  These visits reflect the International Visitors’ professional interests and support the foreign policy goals of the United States. 

Who are International Visitors?

International Visitors are current or emerging leaders in government, politics, the media, education, the arts, business and other key fields. Over 4,000 International Visitors come to the United States from all over the world each year. Since its inception in 1940, thousands of distinguished individuals have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program, including more than 290 current and former Chiefs of State and Heads of Government, thousands of cabinet-level ministers, and many other distinguished leaders from the public and private sectors.

What do International Visitors do in the United States?

International Visitors travel to the U.S. for carefully designed programs that reflect their professional interests and U.S. foreign policy goals. They travel in a variety of thematic programs, either individually or in groups, for up to three weeks. While in the U.S., International Visitors typically visit Washington, DC and three additional towns or cities that highlight the tremendous diversity of the U.S. They attend professional appointments with their American counterparts, learn about the U.S. system of government at the national, state and local levels, visit American schools, and experience American culture and social life. Most International Visitors are accompanied in the U.S. by either foreign language interpreters or English language officers, contractors though the State Department’s Office of Language Services.  Not only do they provide language interpretation for the International Visitors, but they also help to explain American society, history, and culture.

Can I apply to become an International Visitor?
No, there is no application for this program.  International Visitors are selected and nominated annually by American Foreign Service Officers at U.S. Embassies around the world. 

distinguished leaders

Africa

Kenya
President Mwai Kibaki, 1999

MauritiusPresident Sir Anerood Jugnauth, 1981 
Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, 1986

MozambiquePresident Armando Emílio Guebuza, 1987

NamibiaPrime Minister  Nahas Gideon Angula, 1996

Togo
President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, 2001

Uganda
Prime Minister Apolo Nsibambi, 1984

Zimbabwe
Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, 1989

East Asia and the Pacific

AustraliaPrime Minister Julia Eileen Gillard, 2006
Governor General Quentin Alice Louise Bryce, AC, 1978

JapanPrime Minister Naoto Kan, 1980

Papua New Guinea
Prime Minister Michael Somare, 1971

Taiwan
President Ma Ying-Jeou, 1971, 2003 

Europe and Eurasia

AustriaPresident Heinz Fischer, 1964

BelgiumPremier Yves Leterme, 2002

Croatia
President Ivo Josipović, 2002

Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Nečas, 1994, 1999

DenmarkPrime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, 1989

Finland
President Tarja Halonen, 1983
Prime Minister Matti Taneli Vanhanen, 1993

France
President Nicolas Sarkozy, 1985
Prime Minister Francois Fillon, 1984

Georgia
President Mikheil Saakashvili, 1985

GermanyPresident Christian Wulff, 2000

LithuaniaPresident Dalia Grybauskaite, 1994

MacedoniaPrime Minister Nikola Gruevski, 2000

Malta
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, 1990

The NetherlandsPrime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, 1985

Norway Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, 1988

Poland
President Bronisław Komorowski, 2006
Prime Minister Donald Tusk, 1993

PortugalPresident Anibal Cavaco Silva, 1978

Sweden
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, 2002

TurkeyPresident Abdullah Gul, 1995

Near East

Egypt
Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif, 1990

South and Central Asia

Afghanistan
President Hamid Karzai, 1987

BhutanPrime Minister Lyonpo Jigme Yoser Thinley, 1987

India
President Pratibha Patil, 1968

Pakistan

President Ghulam Ishak Khan 1949
Sri Lanka
President Mahinda Rajapakse, 1989

Western Hemisphere

Dominica
President Nicholas Joseph Orville Liverpool, 1985

Mexico
President Felipe de Jesus Calderon Hinojosa, 1992

St. Kitts/Nevis
Prime Minister Denzil Douglas, 1990

St. Lucia
Prime Minister Stephenson King, 1985

Trinidad & TobagoPresident George Maxwell Richards, 1986
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, 1998

Goodluck