What do Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, Anwar Sadat, Boutros, Boutros-Ghali and Helmut Kohl have in common? In addition to securing positions in history as influential leaders of the 20th century, all are alumni of the United States Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program.

This bridge building program brings over 5,000 international leaders and potential leaders to the United States each year to meet with their American counterparts. The International Visitor Leadership Program is a program of the United States Department of State.

For over five decades, leaders from around the world, including more than 145 current and former chiefs of state or heads of government and thousands of other dignitaries, have come to the United States as guests of the U.S. Government through this program.

The purpose of these visits is for international leaders to learn about Iowa, its policies and procedures in business and government, and to enrich the lives of Iowans.

These meetings have provided the starting point for many of lasting personal and institutional ties between Iowa and other countries around the globe. Visitors represent a wide variety of fields including government, business and finance, education, law and civic education, communications and the media, foreign relations, arts and culture, and community issues. Typically, visitors spend three to four days in Iowa, meeting with six to ten Iowa colleagues.

Participants in the International Visitor Leadership Program often provide Iowans a unique opportunity to meet with emerging leaders and/or people who are already established as leaders in government and non-government organizations and to showcase Iowa as an important part of the global community.

The volunteer "Citizen Diplomats" and International Visitor programs around the country were nominated for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. This honor belongs to those who work as volunteers to serve as citizen ambassadors and diplomats in an effort to provide visitors with a realistic and meaningful view of the way Americans and Iowans work and live. The nomination underscored the successes of all of those efforts.

ICIU joined the National Council for International Visitor (NCIV) network in 1976. NCIV works with the State Department and each member agency of the network to ensure quality programming for the participants of the program.

Join us and become a Citizen Diplomat to People from all over the world!

U.S. Department of State's Assessment of ICIU Programs

The Office of Policy and Evaluation in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) has released an evaluation, "Outcome Assessment of International Exchange Programs in Iowa", which assessed the overall impact that ECA's international exchange programs in Iowa have on mutual understanding aborad and in local communities.

Nearly all respondents (99%) found that the hosting experience promotes mutual understanding. The study also showed a trememndous economic benefit: for every Department of State dollar allocated to Iowa, $10.30 was leveraged by Iowa citizens and organizations.

The one-page summary is available for download. More information on exchanges is available online.