Societal Alliances for Disaster Response
Calling climate response policymakers, leaders, funders and innovators:
The global climate crisis is now a witnessed reality and the accelerating intensity and frequency of climate shocks has made it evident that adaptation is a necessary priority requiring effective, scalable and sustainable adaptation models.
Goonj, founded by Magsaysay awardee Anshu Gupta, has pioneered such a model based on 27+ years of grassroots experience in South Asia.
During NY Climate Week 2026, we invite policy makers, practitioners, funding partners, investors, business leaders, media, and institutions to join us for an interactive convening where we will:
Listen to and learn from disaster-affected communities across regions, contexts and disaster types,
Discuss and analyze the sustainability of response decision-making led by those most impacted, and
Mainstream disaster dialogue in everyday life, not just in times of crisis.
This convening is ideal for:
Government & Multilateral Agencies – Policymakers shaping sustainable disaster response frameworks.
Social Sector Innovators – Leaders in climate resilience, disaster response, and community-driven development.
Global Foundations – Philanthropic organizations investing in climate action and community resilience.
Global Corporations and Service Providers - for-profit organizations investing in models for community resilience and business continuity
Development Sector Media & Ecosystem Enablers – Journalists, funders, and collaboration facilitators amplifying climate resilience narratives and cross-sector partnerships.
This is the beginning of a coalition for systemic change that extends far beyond this conversation.
This session takes place in conjunction with Disasters: Myths and Realities: an exhibition of photographs by Anshu Gupta over the last 27+ years of Goonj standing alongside communities through various climate disasters—including the Gujarat earthquake, the Indian Ocean tsunami, the COVID-19 migration, and more recently, the 2026 floods across India. The exhibition invites participants to reflect and participate in rethinking resilience, dignity, and community-centered approaches to disaster response.
This session is part of All Hands on Deck: Co-Designing Climate Resilience 🌏
A day-long convening hosted by The Goonj Foundation and BASACA (Bay Area South Asian Climate Association) during Climate Week NYC 2026, bringing together 100 selected global funders, venture capitalists, founders, philanthropists and adaptation leaders. Join us as we explore how community-led models and local adaptation models can define, direct and scale emergency response globally.
The most effective adaptation solutions are being designed on the frontlines, by communities who know the risk intimately. The most investable ones are coming out of founders across the US–South Asia corridor. And the capital that could connect the two sits in a third room entirely. Everyone is working the same problem from a different end, and almost never at the same table. That gap is the opportunity. Hundred people, one room, one day: to use community-led design can shape South Asia’s climate resilience solutions.
Whether you are a founder, investor, researcher, non-profit, media professional or policymaker and working on climate resilience, this is the room you need to be in for NY Climate Week.
Browse the full day and register for the other sessions: https://luma.com/allhandsondeck
Hosted by:
THE GOONJ FOUNDATION: A US organization inspired by Goonj, a pioneering non-profit transforming disaster response and climate adaptation across India into a dignity-driven, community-led movement. Goonj leverages local wisdom, grassroots participation, and institutional frameworks like SARRD (Societal Alliance for Resilience and Response to Disasters) to build sustainable, long-term resilience.
BASACA (Bay Area South Asian Climate Association): A global community uniting South Asian leaders across business, academia, science, arts, climate, and activism to foster collaboration, amplify impact, and drive systems change.