World Council

In 1855, the YMCA Movement met for the first time in Paris, France.  99 delegates from 9 countries – all under 25 – came together for what was then known as a ‘World Conference’.  At that meeting, our foundational document the ‘Paris Basis’ was created and adopted.

On the 100th anniversary of the first World Conference, the naming convention changed to ‘World Council’.

Special highlights have included the issuing of the Kampala Principles in Uganda (1973), and Challenge 21 in Frechen, Germany (1998).

At our World Council in Hong Kong in 2010, young people were not placed at the heart of our movement. They were relegated to side roles, and weren’t given the opportunity to be actively involved at World Council.

Fast forward four years, and there was a global shift across the organisation towards focussing on the common purpose of Empowering Young People. We built on this positive momentum and pushed further in 2018, with the theme of Youth Empowerment 4 Good in Thailand.

• 1855, Paris, France
• 1858, Geneva, Switzerland
• 1862, London, UK
• 1865, Elberfeld, Germany
• 1867, Paris, France
• 1872, Amsterdam, Netherland
• 1875, Geneva, Switzerland
• 1881, London, UK
• 1884, Berlin, Germany
• 1888, Stockholm, Sweden
• 1891, Amsterdam, Netherlands
• 1894, London, UK
• 1898, Basel, Switzerland
• 1902, Christiania, Norway
• 1905, Paris, France
• 1909, Elberfeld, Germany
• 1913, Edinburgh, UK
• 1926, Helingfors, Finland
• 1931, Cleveland, USA
• 1937, Mysore, India
• 1955, Paris, France
• 1957, Kassel, Germany
• 1961, Geneva, Switzerland
• 1965, Tozanso, Japan
• 1969, Nottingham, UK
• 1973, Kampala, Uganda
• 1977, Buenos Aires, Argentina
• 1981, Estes Park, Colorado, USA
• 1985, Nyborg, Denmark
• 1988, San Nicolas, Aruba
• 1991, Seoul, South Korea
• 1994, Coventry, UK
• 1998, Frechen, Germany
• 2002, Oaxtepec, Mexico
• 2006, Durban, South Africa
• 2010, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
• 2014, Estes Park, Colorado, USA
• 2018, Chiang Mai, Thailand
• 2022, Aarhus, Denmark