The International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) is a professional exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The mission of IVLP is to offer current and emerging international leaders the opportunity to experience the richness and diversity of American political, economic, social and cultural life through carefully designed exchanges that reflect participants’ professional interests and the public diplomacy objectives of the United States government.
up to three weeks. The program is nomination only by staff at U.S. Embassies.
The exchange brings up to 5000 professional emerging leaders from around the world to the United States each year for programs of History In 1940, Nelson Rockefeller was named the Coordinator of Commercial and Cultural Affairs for the American Republics. He initiated the exchange of persons program with Latin America, inviting 130 Latin American journalists to the United States and recognized as the first exchange under what would become the IVLP. In 1948 representative Karl E. Mundt and Senator H. Alexander Smith marshaled the Informational and Educational Exchange Act, also known as the Smith-Mundt Act which was passed by the 80th United States Congress and approved by President Harry S. Truman. During a time when Americans grew increasingly concerned about Soviet propaganda, the purpose of the Smith-Mundt was "to promote a better understanding of the United States in other countries, and to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries" through educational and cultural exchanges. From this legislation birthed the Foreign Leaders Program, which was eventually consolidated into the International Visitor Program (IVP) in 1952. In 2004, the IVP was renamed the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP).
Goals The purpose of the IVLP is to: cultivate lasting relationships between current and emerging professionals around the world and their American counterparts provides opportunities for foreign opinion makers to gain firsthand knowledge about U.S. society, culture and politics
Notable alumni
The following tables list the 339 current and former chiefs of state and heads of government who have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program.
East Asia and Pacific Country Name Highest Position Year Participated Julia Gillard Prime Minister 2006 Quentin Bryce Governor General 1978 Paul Keating Prime Minister 1977 William Hayden Governor General 1970 Malcolm Fraser Prime Minister 1964 Gough Whitlam Prime Minister 1964 Terepai Maoate Prime Minister 1987 Tosiwo Nakayama President 1961 Kamisese Mara Acting President 1964 Penaia Ganilau President 1963 George Cakobau Governor General 1964 Megawati Sukarnoputri President 1989 Abdurrahman Wahid President 1979 Naoto Kan Prime Minister 1981, 1980 Yukio Hatoyama Prime Minister 1988 Morihiro Hosokawa Prime Minister 1980 Toshiki Kaifu Prime Minister 2000, 1962 Mahathir Mohamad Prime Minister 1973 Abdul Razak Hussein Prime Minister 1963, 1953 Nambaryn Enkhbayar President 1994Jacinda ArdernPrime Minister2012 Helen Clark Prime Minister 1998 Jenny Shipley Prime Minister 1989 David Lange Prime Minister 1983 Norman Kirk Prime Minister 1971, 1962 Rob Muldoon Prime Minister 1965 Wallace E. Rowling Prime Minister 1967 Jack Marshall Prime Minister 1958 Lazarus Salii President 1968 Ignatius Kilage Governor-General 1976 Michael Somare Prime Minister 1971 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo President 1964 Sara Duterte Vice President 2020 Vaai Kolone Prime Minister 1981 Wee Kim Wee President 1964 Devan Nair President 1979 Kim Dae-jung President 1965 Kim Yong-sam President 1964 Han Seung-soo Prime Minister 1977 Hyun Seung-jong Acting Prime Minister 1971 Lee Yung-duk Prime Minister 1966 Kim Sang-hyup Prime Minister 1970, 1960 Nam Duck-woo Prime Minister 1975 Chung Il-kwon Prime Minister 1971 Lee Han-key Prime Minister 1972 Choi Doo-sun Prime Minister 1950 Ma Ying-jeou President 2003, 1971 Chen Shui-bian President 1990 Chuan Leekpai Prime Minister 1971 Taufa'ahau Tupou IV King 1964 Fatafehi Tu'ipelehake Prime Minister 1968 Walter Lini Prime Minister 1976
Europe Country/Region Name Highest Position Year Participated Bashkim Fino Prime Minister 1996, 1995 Heinz Fischer President 1964 Alfred Gusenbauer Chancellor 1987 Wolfgang Schüssel Chancellor 1984, 1971 Franz Vranitzky Chancellor 1975 Bruno Kreisky Chancellor 1958 Fred Sinowatz Chancellor 1965 Yves Leterme Prime Minister 1983 Guy Verhofstadt Prime Minister 1983 Wilfried Martens Prime Minister 1971 Leo Tindemans Prime Minister 1967 Mark Eyskens Prime Minister 1984 Mladen Ivanić Member of Presidency Sergei Stanishev Prime Minister 2004 Zhan Videnov Prime Minister 1992 Philip Dimitrov Prime Minister 1990 Zoran Milanović Prime Minister 1996 Ivo Josipović President 2002 Ivica Racan Prime Minister 1998 Zlatko Tomčić President 1998 Tassos Papadopoulos President 1968 Petr Nečas Prime Minister 1999, 1994 Lars Løkke Rasmussen Prime Minister 1989 Anders Fogh Rasmussen Prime Minister 1982 Poul Nyrup Rasmussen Prime Minister 1985 Juhan Parts Prime Minister 2005, 1992 Sauli Niinistö President 1992 Tarja Halonen President 1983 Jyrki Katainen Prime Minister 2003 Matti Vanhanen Prime Minister 1993 Paavo Lipponen Prime Minister 1974 Esko Aho Prime Minister 1979 Harri Holkeri Prime Minister 1970 Anneli Tuulikki Jaatteenmaki Prime Minister 1995 Nicolas Sarkozy President 1985 François Fillon Prime Minister 1984 Lionel Jospin Prime Minister 1977 Alain Juppé Prime Minister 1978 Raymond Barre Prime Minister 1965 Pierre Bérégovoy Prime Minister 1977 Valéry Giscard d'Estaing President 1956 Jacques Chaban-Delmas Prime Minister 1961 Michel Debré Prime Minister 1956 Mikheil Saakashvili President 1999 Zurab Noghaideli Prime Minister 1997 Zurab Zhvania Prime Minister 1997 Joachim Gauck President 1993 Christian Wulff President 2000 Gerhard Schröder Chancellor 1981 Richard von Weizsäcker President 1978 Walter Scheel President 1951 Karl Carstens President 1950 Kurt Georg Kiesinger Chancellor 1954 Willy Brandt Chancellor 1954 Helmut Schmidt Chancellor 1956 Konstandinos Karamanlis Prime Minister 1995 Constantine Mitsotakis Prime Minister 1959 Constantine Karamanlis President 1951 Constantine Tsatsos President 1952 George Rallis Prime Minister 1958, 1953 Gyula Horn Prime Minister 1981 József Antall Prime Minister 1989 Geir Haarde Prime Minister 1985 David Oddsson Prime Minister 1983 Thorsteinn Palsson Prime Minister 1984 Kristjan Eldjarn President 1957 Enda Kenny Prime Minister 1989 Mary Robinson President 1976 John Bruton Prime Minister 1980 Oscar Luigi Scalfaro President 1960 Francesco Cossiga President 1966 Giuseppe Saragat President 1963 Mario Monti Prime Minister 1981 Romano Prodi Prime Minister 1979 Giovanni Goria Prime Minister 1981 Giovanni Spadolini Prime Minister 1952 Arnaldo Forlani Prime Minister 1960 Fatmir Sejdiu President 2003 Bajram Kosumi Prime Minister 2001 Bajram Rexhepi Prime Minister 2000 Dalia Grybauskaitė President 1994 Gediminas Kirkilas President 2002, 1993 Arturas Paulauskas President 1992 Jacques Santer Prime Minister 1973 Nikola Gruevski Prime Minister 2000 Boris Trajkovski President 1996 Ljubco Georgievski Prime Minister 1996 Joseph Muscat Prime Minister 1984 Edward Fenech Adami President 1974, 1975 Guido De Marco President 1973 Lawrence Gonzi Prime Minister 1990 Ugo Mifsud Bonnici President 1971 Dominic Mintoff Prime Minister 1965 Nicolae Timofti President 2005 Petru Lucinschi President 1995 Igor Lukšić Prime Minister 1999 Jan Peter Balkenende Prime Minister 1985 Willem Kok Prime Minister 1978 Joop den Uyl Prime Minister 1953, 1979Erna SolbergPrime Minister1996 Jens Stoltenberg Prime Minister 1988 Thorbjorn Jagland Prime Minister 1982 Kjell Magne Bondevik Prime Minister 1971 Jan P. Syse Prime Minister 1978 Kare Willoch Prime Minister 1979 Beata Szydło Prime Minister 2004 Bronislaw Komorowski President 2006 Donald Tusk Prime Minister 1995 Hanna Suchocka Prime Minister 1988 Mieczysław Rakowski Prime Minister 1978 Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz Prime Minister 2000 Aleksander Kwasniewski President 1994 Aníbal Cavaco Silva President 1978 Jorge Sampaio President 1965 Mario Alberto Soares President 1976 António Guterres Prime Minister 1978 Francisco Pinto Balsemao Prime Minister 1965 Victor Ciorbea Prime Minister 1995 Borut Pahor Prime Minister 1991 Janez Drnovšek President 1988 Eduardo Madina Deputy Fredrik Reinfeldt Prime Minister 2002 Carl Bildt Prime Minister 1973 Moritz Leuenberger President 1993Andri Silberschmidt National Councilor2019 Abdullah Gul President 1995 Suleyman Demirel President 1957 Leonid Kuchma President 1994 Leonid Kravchuk President Theresa MayPrime Minister2004 Gordon Brown Prime Minister 1992, 1984 Tony Blair Prime Minister 1992, 1986 Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister 1967 Edward Heath Prime Minister 1953 Humza Yousaf First Minister of Scotland 2008
North Africa, Near East, South Asia and Central Asia Country Name Highest Position Year Participated Hamid Karzai President 1987 Fakhruddin Ahmed Chief Advisor 1977 Jigme Thinley Prime Minister 1987 Khandu Wangchuk Prime Minister 1993 Anwar Sadat President 1968 Ahmed Nazif Prime Minister 1990 Ahmad Fuad Mohieddin Prime Minister 1977 Pratibha Patil President 1999, 1986 Narendra Modi Prime Minister 1993 Atal Bihari Vajpayee Prime Minister 1960 Indira Gandhi Prime Minister 1961 Morarji Desai Prime Minister 1962Ayesha RubinaSocial Worker2012 Natarajan Velayutham Advocate & Social Worker 2024 Arun Daniel Yellamaty Founder Youngistaan Foundation 2022 Berly Thomas Media Personality and Blogger 2013 Moshe Katzav President 1980 Ehud Olmert Prime Minister 1978 Adnan Badran Prime Minister 1977 Faisal al-Fayez Prime Minister 1988 Abdelsalam al-Majali Prime Minister 1969 Kurmanbek Bakiyev President 2004 Amin Gemayel President 1979, 1972 Elias Sarkis President 1971 Zaven Kouyoumdjian Media Personality 2006 Azzedine Laraki Prime Minister 1986 Maati Bouabid Prime Minister 1965, 1961 Krishna Prasad Bhattarai Prime Minister 1993 Sher Bahadur Deuba Prime Minister Ghulam Ishaq Khan President 1949 Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Future Prime Minister of Bangladesh 1952 Mahinda Rajapakse President 1989 Ranil Wickremesinghe Prime Minister 1988, 1981 Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Prime Minister 1975 Ranasinghe Premadasa President 1966 Mohamed Mzali Prime Minister 1964 Emna Mizouni Wikipedia Of The Year 2019 2019 Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani Prime Minister 1989 Mohamed Qubaty Minister, Ambassador & Media Personality 2001
Sub-Saharan Africa