INTERNATIONAL VISITOR LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
Expanding mutual understanding, sharing knowledge, and promoting public diplomacy.
Hosted by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, IVLP is the U.S. Department of State’s premier professional exchange program. Launched in 1940, IVLP seeks to expand mutual understanding between Americans and individuals from other nations through carefully designed short-term visits to the U.S. for current and emerging foreign leaders. Through short-term visits to the United States, current and emerging foreign leaders in various fields experience this country firsthand and cultivate lasting relationships with their American counterparts.
In 2025, the World Affairs Council of Maine:
- Hosted 12 delegations with leaders from 28 different countries
- Hosted 96 visitors
- Hosted 25 State Department Liaisons
- Met with 4 Maine colleges and universities
- Met with representatives of 12 small and medium Maine businesses
- Met with 11 state agencies
- Met with 5 research centers and business incubators
- Met with over a dozen community services organizations
In addition to sharing the best of Maine, we estimate these groups pushed no less than $178,000 into Maine’s economy – two-thirds during the “off-season.”
