Carlos Madjri Sanvee is the Secretary General of the World Alliance of YMCAs, a role he assumed in January 2019. He was elected during the 19th YMCA World Council in Chiang Mai, Thailand, in July 2018, becoming the first African to hold this position.
Sanvee has been instrumental in leading the YMCA’s response to the Covid crisis, launching initiatives like the YMCA Covid Solidarity Fund and the Youth Led Solutions Initiative to empower young people. He also spearheaded the Global Youth Mobilization in partnership with organizations like the WHO and UN, culminating in the adoption of YMCA Vision 2030 at the 20th YMCA World Council in 2022.
In his second term from 2022 to 2026, Sanvee aims to implement Vision 2030, focusing on the 12 Strategic Goals within the four Pillars of Impact: Community Wellbeing, Meaningful Work, Sustainable Planet, and Just World. The launch of two Pillars in 2023, along with initiatives such as a global survey on young people’s hopes and fears, highlights his commitment to aligning the YMCAís mission with the needs of its members. As Chair of the ‘Big 6,’ he has also advanced the second phase of the Global Youth Mobilization with EU funding.
Sanvee’s YMCA journey began in 1973 as a teenage volunteer in Togo, later becoming a staff member and ultimately deputy National General Secretary. He joined World YMCA in 1999 as Executive for Finance & Administration, advocating for youth integration. From 2007 to 2018, he served as General Secretary of the Africa Alliance of YMCAs, leading initiatives like the ëFrom Subject to Citizení program. Sanvee holds a degree in Physics and Chemistry from UniversitÈ du BÈnin in Togo and a ìDiplÙme des Hautes Ètudes de pratiques sociales (DHEPS)î from UniversitÈ Lyon LumiËre II, France.
