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“The IVL Program offers priceless opportunities to understand the United States and the American people through direct experience, and to make valuable contacts…I am immensely grateful for the insights into the U.S., which this exchange provided. I have drawn on them regularly since then.”

— Tony Blair,
British Prime Minister (former)

A typical IVLP project is three weeks in length, and includes visits to four U.S. cities. IVLP participants meet with professional counterparts and visit U.S. public and private sector organizations and related to the project theme. In addition, IVs are often hosted by American families and participate in cultural activities.

Over 135,000 International Visitors have participated in the program since its inception in 1940. At any given point during the year, approximately 250 IVs are on projects in the United States. In 2005, over 4,000 IVs participated in 1,003 projects on themes such as:

  • Counter-terrorism
  • International Crime
  • Combating HIV/AIDS and
    • Drug Prevention
  • Civic Education
  • NGO Management
  • Foreign Policy
  • Religious Tolerance
  • Democracy and Rule of Law
  • Broadcast/Print Journalism

International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP)

Research confirms the global erosion of trust in America. Citizen Diplomacy is a means to counter the misperceptions of American values and culture. Through its flagship program, the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), UCCD significantly improves the image of the United State abroad. In a 2000 survey, U.S. ambassadors ranked the International Visitor Leadership Program first in a long list of public diplomacy tools at their disposal. In 2001, Senator Arlen Specter nominated the member councils, including UCCD, for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Where do our delegates come from?


Among IVLP alumni are over 290 current and former Heads of Government or Chiefs-of- State, 60 currently serving in this capacity. Alumni include:

  • President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan (`87)
  • President Ricardo Lagos of Chile (`88)
  • President Nicolas Sarkozy of France ('85)
  • President Mikhail Saakashvili of Georgia (`99)
  • Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder of Germany (`81)
  • Prime Minister Gordon Brown ('92, '84), Tony Blair ('92, '86), and Margaret Thatcher ('67) of Great Britain
  • Prime Minister Indira Gandhi of India ('61)
  • Dr. Adnan Badran, Prime Minister of Jordan (`77)
  • President Kurmanbek Bakirev of Kyrgyzstan (`04)
  • President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya (`99)

Each U.S. embassy abroad identifies and nominates key emerging leaders to participate in the program. The embassy and delegates work together to develop professional program objectives for their visit. The delegates arrive in Washington D.C. for an orientation of up to one week, and then visit three or four cities or communities around the nation, for a total of three weeks in the United States.

When Utah is selected as a program destination, UCCD works within the community to develop short-term professional and cultural programs for the delegates. They meet with Utah professionals in the fields of business, academia, the arts, science, agriculture, religion, politics and the media, among others.

UCCD is supported by scores of Utah “Citizen Diplomats” who contribute their time and knowledge by participating in professional and cultural programs, serving as professional resources, and opening their homes for dinner. Seeing the United States firsthand and interacting directly with Americans in their offices, businesses, schools and homes repeatedly turns critics and skeptics into informed observers and friends.

The International Visitor Leadership Program is a perfect complement to renewed emphasis on democracy and diplomacy in U.S. foreign policy. The program allows current and future decision-makers from emerging nations to witness how the democratic values of our society are institutionalized at local, state, and federal levels of government. Experiencing the United States firsthand is a proven transformational experience that has inspired many IVLP alumni to implement democratic reforms when they return home.