As a highly regarded member council affiliated with the U.S. Department of State’s International Leadership Program (IVLP), the Lincoln Council for International Visitors (LCIV) welcomes and connects emerging leaders from countries across the world with the Nebraska community members through home visits, governance, education, and cultural visits.
The Lincoln Council of International Visitors, initially known as the Mayor’s Committee for International Friendship, started in April 1966 when Mayor Dean Peterson wanted to establish a committee that welcomes international leaders through a glimpse of heartland hospitality. Although the Mayor’s Committee for International Friendship is now a separate entity, LCIV continues to work closely with the City of Lincoln’s Mayor's Office. The mission to promote global understanding through citizen diplomacy in Lincoln, Nebraska, continues today.
More About the International Visitor Leadership Programs
The Lincoln Council for International Visitors (LCIV) works with the U.S. Department of State International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) to facilitate interactions between Citizen Diplomats in the United States and selected global leaders from various fields and endeavors.
The goal of the program is to build mutual understanding between the U.S. and other nations through short-term visits to the U.S. Nationally, IVLP annually hosts about 5,000 international visitors, which brings a total of more than 200,000 International Visitors to the U.S. Participants of IVLP include over 335 current or former heads of state (presidents and prime ministers), and the notable international visitors include U.K. Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Margaret Thatcher, French Presidents Nicolas Sarkozy, François Fillon, and Dutch Prime Ministers Jan Peter Balkenende and Willem Kok.
