The Charter of Tibetans in Exile was updated immediately in May 2011, and all articles related to political duties and regents of the 14th Dalai Lama were repealed.

[3] Sangay was born in a refugee community in Darjeeling, India, in 1968, with a typical Shichak (settlement) background amidst fields, cows, and chickens, fetching wood in the forest and helping his parents' small business, including selling winter sweaters.

degree from Harvard Law School[6] and was a recipient of the 2004 Yong K. Kim' 95 Memorial Prize[6] for excellence for his dissertation, Democracy in Distress: Is Exile Polity a Remedy?

Funded by the Hao Ran Foundation, Sangay was a Senior Fellow at the East Asian Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School through 2011.

According to Sangay, there was "a high level of anxiety among Tibetans" over the Dalai Lama's decision to relinquish his own political authority.

[citation needed] In his role as Sikyong, Sangay has emphasized the importance of seeking a peaceful, non-violent resolution of the Tibet issue.

He has supported the Dalai Lama's call for a "Middle Way" approach "that would provide for genuine autonomy for Tibet within the framework of Chinese constitution."

Expressing concern about the possible ripple effects of recent acts of armed rebellion in west Asia, he called for the international community to strengthen its endorsement of non-violent approaches to oppression.

[17]: 37 In November 2020, Sangay became the first leader of the exiled Central Tibetan Administration to visit the White House in 60 years.