El Paso Council for International Visitors

United States

Since 1961, the El Paso Council for International Visitors (EPCIV) continues to receive foreign dignitaries through cooperation with the U.S. Department of State to tour the United States. Our program work with U.S. embassies around the world in order to acquaint emerging leaders of other nations with the United States so that they will better understand our country.

These visitors spend three to four weeks in the United States at our government's expense.  They visit four to six communities where they are greeted and hosted by local councils. EPCIV is one of the many councils that belongs to the U.S. Global Ties.  More than one hundred heads of state and six hundred cabinet ministers from around the world have participated in the International Visitor Leadership Program, to include Margaret Thatcher and Anwar Sadat.

Most international visitors are mid-level managers who are rising stars in their chosen professions, which include government, education, journalism, and business.  Their ages typically range from 35-55, and they are well-educated and often widely traveled.  They visit business, government, and private sector agencies that correlate to their careers in their home country.  Most of these visitors speak English, although some require an interpreter.  Visitors are accompanied by an escort from the U.S. Department of State; this escort provides interpretation for non-English speakers.