International Visitor Leadership Program


The exchange brings up to 5,000 professional emerging leaders from around the world to the United States each year for programs of up to three weeks. The program is nomination only by staff at U.S. Embassies.[1]


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" though 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).[2][3]


The purpose of the IVLP is to:

  1. cultivate lasting relationships between current and emerging professionals around the world and their American counterparts
  2. provides opportunities for foreign opinion makers to gain firsthand knowledge about U.S. society, culture and politics[4]

Notable alumniEdit

The following tables list the 338 current and former chiefs of state and heads of government who have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program.

East Asia and PacificEdit

Country Name Highest Position Year Participated
  Australia 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
  Cook Islands Terepai Maoate Prime Minister 1987
  Federated States of Micronesia Tosiwo Nakayama President 1961
  Fiji Kamisese Mara Acting President 1964
Penaia Ganilau President 1963
George Cakobau Governor General 1964
  Indonesia Megawati Sukarnoputri President 1989
Abdurrahman Wahid President 1979
  Japan Naoto Kan Prime Minister 1981, 1980
Yukio Hatoyama Prime Minister 1988
Morihiro Hosokawa Prime Minister 1980
Toshiki Kaifu Prime Minister 2000, 1962
  Malaysia Mahathir bin Mohamad Prime Minister 1973
Abdul Razak Prime Minister 1963, 1953
  Mongolia Nambaryn Enkhbayar President 1994
  New Zealand 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
  Palau Lazarus Salii President 1968
  Papua New Guinea Ignatius Kilage Governor-General 1976
Michael Somare Prime Minister 1971
  Philippines Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo President 1964
  Samoa Vaai Kolone Prime Minister 1981
  Singapore Wee Kim Wee President 1964
Devan Nair President 1979
  South Korea 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
  Taiwan Ma Ying-jeou President 2003, 1971
Chen Shui-bian President 1990
  Thailand Chuan Leekpai Prime Minister 1971
  Tonga Taufa'ahau Tupou IV King 1964
Fatafehi Tu'ipelehake Prime Minister 1968
  Vanuatu Walter Lini Prime Minister 1976


Country/Region Name Highest Position Year Participated
  Albania Bashkim Fino Prime Minister 1996, 1995
  Austria 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
  Belgium 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
  Bulgaria Sergei Stanishev Prime Minister 2004
Zhan Videnov Prime Minister 1992
Philip Dimitrov Prime Minister 1990
  Croatia Zoran Milanovic Prime Minister 1996
Ivo Josipović President 2002
Ivica Racan Prime Minister 1998
Zlatko Tomcic President 1998
  Cyprus Tassos Papadopoulos President 1968
  Czech Republic Petr Nečas Prime Minister 1999, 1994
  Denmark Lars Løkke Rasmussen Prime Minister 1989
Anders Fogh Rasmussen Prime Minister 1982
Poul Nyrup Rasmussen Prime Minister 1985
  Estonia Juhan Parts Prime Minister 2005, 1992
  Finland 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
  France 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
  Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili President 1999
Zurab Noghaideli Prime Minister 1997
Zurab Zhvania Prime Minister 1997
  Germany 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
  Greece Konstandinos Karamanlis Prime Minister 1995
Constantine Mitsotakis Prime Minister 1959
Constantine Karamanlis President 1951
Constantine Tsatsos President 1952
George Rallis Prime Minister 1958, 1953
  Hungary Gyula Horn Prime Minister 1981
József Antall Prime Minister 1989
  Iceland Geir Haarde Prime Minister 1985
David Oddsson Prime Minister 1983
Thorsteinn Palsson Prime Minister 1984
Kristjan Eldjarn President 1957
  Ireland Enda Kenny Prime Minister 1989
Mary Robinson President 1976
John Bruton Prime Minister 1980
  Italy 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
  Kosovo Fatmir Sejdiu President 2003
Bajram Kosumi Prime Minister 2001
Bajram Rexhepi Prime Minister 2000
  Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė President 1994
Gediminas Kirkilas President 2002, 1993
Arturas Paulauskas President 1992
  Luxembourg Jacques Santer Prime Minister 1973
  Macedonia Nikola Gruevski Prime Minister 2000
Boris Trajkovski President 1996
Ljubco Georgievski Prime Minister 1996
  Malta 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
  Moldova Nicolae Timofti President 2005
Petru Lucinschi President 1995
  Montenegro Igor Lukšić Prime Minister 1999
  The Netherlands Jan Peter Balkenende Prime Minister 1985
Willem Kok Prime Minister 1978
Joop den Uyl Prime Minister 1953, 1979
  Norway Erna Solberg Prime Minister 1996
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
  Poland 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
  Portugal Anibal Cavaco Silva President 1978
Jorge Sampaio President 1965
Mario Alberto Soares President 1976
António Guterres Prime Minister 1978
Francisco Pinto Balsemao Prime Minister 1965
  Romania Victor Ciorbea Prime Minister 1995
  Slovenia Borut Pahor Prime Minister 1991
Janez Drnovšek President 1988
  Spain Eduardo Madina Deputy
  Sweden Fredrik Reinfeldt Prime Minister 2002
Carl Bildt Prime Minister 1973
   Switzerland Moritz Leuenberger President 1993
  Turkey Abdullah Gul President 1995
Suleyman Demirel President 1957
  Ukraine Leonid Kuchma President 1994
Leonid Kravchuk President
  United Kingdom Gordon Brown Prime Minister 1992, 1984
Tony Blair Prime Minister 1992, 1986
Margaret Thatcher Prime Minister 1967
Edward Heath Prime Minister 1953

North Africa, Near East, South Asia and Central AsiaEdit

Country Name Highest Position Year Participated
  Afghanistan Hamid Karzai President 1987
  Bangladesh Fakhruddin Ahmed Chief Advisor 1977
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Prime Minister 1952
  Bhutan Jigme Thinley Prime Minister 1987
Khandu Wangchuk Prime Minister 1993
  Egypt Anwar Sadat President 1968
Ahmed Nazif Prime Minister 1990
Ahmad Fuad Mohieddin Prime Minister 1977
  India Pratibha Patil President 1999, 1986
Kocheril Raman Narayanan President 1969
Atal Bihari Vajpayee Prime Minister 1960
Indira Gandhi Prime Minister 1961
Morarji Desai Prime Minister 1962
  Israel Moshe Katzav President 1980
Ehud Olmert Prime Minister 1978
  Jordan Adnan Badran Prime Minister 1977
Faisal al-Fayez Prime Minister 1988
Abdelsalam al-Majali Prime Minister 1969
  Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiyev President 2004
  Lebanon Amin Gemayel President 1979, 1972
Elias Sarkis President 1971
Zaven Kouyoumdjian Media Personality 2006
  Morocco Azzedine Laraki Prime Minister 1986
Maati Bouabid Prime Minister 1965, 1961
    Nepal Krishna Prasad Bhattarai Prime Minister 1993
Sher Bahadur Deuba Prime Minister
  Pakistan Ghulam Ishaq Khan President 1949
  Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapakse President 1989
Ranil Wickremesinghe Prime Minister 1988, 1981
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Prime Minister 1975
Ranasinghe Premadasa President 1966
  Tunisia Mohamed Mzali Prime Minister 1964
  Qatar Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani Prime Minister 1989

Sub-Saharan AfricaEdit

Country Name Highest Position Year Participated
  Benin Nicephore Soglo President 1997
  Botswana Festus G. Mogae President 1976
Quett Masire President 1975
  Burkina Faso Roch Marc Christian Kaboré President 1999, 1986
  Central African Republic Andre-Dieudonne Kolingba President 1966
  Chad Youssouf Saleh Abbas Prime Minister 1999
Nagoum Yamassoum Prime Minister 1992
  Côte d'Ivoire Laurent Gbagbo President 1993
Daniel Kablan Duncan Prime Minister 1974
  Ghana John Kufuor President Late 1960s
  Guinea Alpha Condé President 1962
Lamine Sidimé Prime Minister 1992
  Kenya Mwai Kibaki President 1999
Daniel arap Moi President 1969
  Lesotho 'Mamohato Seeiso Queen 1993
  Madagascar Didier Ratsiraka President 1973
Philibert Tsiranana President 1964
  Malawi Joyce Banda President 1989
Bakili Muluzi President 1980
  Mali Alpha Oumar Konaré President 1978
  Mauritius Anerood Jugnauth President 1981
Navinchandra Ramgoolam Prime Minister 1986
Karl Offmann President 1985
Veerasamy Ringadoo Governor General 1982
Dayendranath Burrenchobay Governor General 1969
  Mozambique Armando Guebuza President 1987
Pascoal Mocumbi Prime Minister 1986
  Namibia Nahas Angula Prime Minister 1996
  Niger Seyni Oumarou Prime Minister 1990
Hama Amadou Prime Minister 1986
  Nigeria Alex Ifeanyichukwu Ekwueme Vice President
  Rwanda Sylvestre Nsanzimana Prime Minister 1986
  South Africa Frederik Willem de Klerk President 1976
  Senegal Mame Madior Boye Prime Minister 1975
  Seychelles France-Albert René President 1967
  Swaziland Obed Dlamini Prime Minister 1986
  Tanzania Julius Nyerere President 1960
  Togo Faure Gnassingbé President 2001
Yawovi Agboyibo Prime Minister 1997
Edem Kodjo Prime Minister 1972
Joseph Kokou Koffigoh Prime Minister 1990
  Uganda Amama Mbabazi Prime Minister 2011
  Zambia Kebby Musokotwane Prime Minister 1979
  Zimbabwe Morgan Tsvangirai Prime Minister 1989

Western HemisphereEdit

Country Name Highest Position Year Participated
  Argentina Fernando de la Rúa President 1966
Raúl Alfonsín President 1981
  Barbados Owen Arthur Prime Minister 1988
Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Prime Minister 1975
Tom Adams Prime Minister 1973
  Belize Said Musa Prime Minister 1995
  Bolivia Carlos Mesa President 2002, 1979
  Brazil Dilma Rousseff President 1992
José Sarney President 1964
  Canada Edward Schreyer Governor General 1978
  Chile Ricardo Lagos President 1988
  Colombia Álvaro Uribe President 1998
Ernesto Samper President 1985
César Gaviria President 1982
Belisario Betancur President 1952
Julio César Turbay Ayala President 1977
  Costa Rica Óscar Arias Prime Minister 1971
  Dominica Nicholas Liverpool President 1985
Eugenia Charles Prime Minister 1995
Patrick John Prime Minister 1979
  Dominican Republic Danilo Medina President 1991
Hipólito Mejía President 1995
Salvador Jorge Blanco President 1979
  Ecuador Gustavo Noboa President 1960
Jamil Mahuad President 1985
Rosalía Arteaga President 1993
Rodrigo Borja President 1962
  El Salvador Armando Calderón Sol President 1986
Alfredo Cristiani President 1986
  Grenada Paul Scoon Governor General 1972
  Guyana Hamilton Green Prime Minister 1967
Ptolemy Reid President 1966
  Guatemala Vinicio Cerezo President 1976
Alfonso Portillo President 1992
Álvaro Arzú President 1982
Ramiro de León Carpio President 1988
  Haiti Jacques-Édouard Alexis Prime Minister 1983
Ertha Pascal-Trouillot President 1980
Leslie Manigat President 1959
  Honduras Ricardo Maduro President 1986
Carlos Roberto Reina President 1993
Rafael Leonardo Callejas President 1986
José Azcona del Hoyo President 1985
  Jamaica Portia Simpson-Miller Prime Minister 1981
Howard Cooke Governor General 1981
Donald Sangster Prime Minister 1960
  Mexico Felipe Calderón President 1992
  Paraguay Nicanor Duarte President 1989
  Peru Jorge Del Castillo Prime Minister 1988
Beatriz Merino Prime Minister 1997
  Saint Kitts and Nevis Denzil Douglas Prime Minister 1990
Simeon Daniel Premier 1980
Lee Moore Premier 1972
  Saint Lucia Stephenson King Prime Minister 1985
  Saint Vincent and the Grenadines James Fitz-Allen Mitchell Prime Minister 1973
  Suriname Ronald Venetiaan President 1981
Ramsewak Shankar President 1978
  Trinidad and Tobago George Richards President 1986
Kamla Persad-Bissessar Prime Minister 1998
Patrick Manning Prime Minister 1988
Basdeo Panday Prime Minister 1978
Michael Williams President 1988
  Uruguay Tabaré Vázquez President 1993
Washington Beltrán President 1976
Julio María Sanguinetti President 1984
Luis Alberto Lacalle President 1968
  Venezuela Rafael Caldera President 1962
Luis Herrera Campins President 1967

Agencies involvedEdit

The IVLP functions through a cooperative agreement with several National Program Agencies and Global Ties U.S., comprising organizations in 45 states, that arrange the itineraries for IVLP exchange participants.[5]


  1. ^ "IVLP Fact Sheet, U.S. Department of State" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-25. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  2. ^ "Program History - International Visitor Leadership Program". Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  3. ^ "How do you spot a future world leader?, Jon Kelly, BBC News Magazine". Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  4. ^ "International Visitor Leadership Program". Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  5. ^ "Implementing Partnerships". Retrieved 2013-09-24.

External linksEdit