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New York becomes a crossroads for global leadership every September, but the conversations unfolding across the city increasingly extend beyond governments, corporations and institutional commitments. During a week shaped by the United Nations General Assembly and Climate Week NYC 2026, another gathering is placing community leadership, social resilience and peacebuilding at the center of the discussion.

On September 25, the Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative, or WPDI, will hold its “Rise as One” Gala Dinner and Auction at Gotham Hall in Manhattan. The black-tie evening marks fourteen years of the organization's work and is expected to bring together approximately 300 guests around a mission focused on empowering people in conflict-affected and vulnerable communities.

Peacebuilding Through Local Leadership

Founded by actor and humanitarian Forest Whitaker, WPDI has developed programs that combine conflict resolution, education, vocational training, entrepreneurship, mentorship and trauma healing. Rather than approaching peace exclusively through diplomacy, the organization works with individuals who can become agents of change within their own communities.

That philosophy will shape the evening in New York. WPDI says guests will hear the stories of peacebuilders working across vulnerable communities in Africa, North America and Europe, alongside performances and presentations highlighting the experiences of its youth leaders. Proceeds from the gala will support programs designed to provide participants with skills, resources and training, including support for locally led projects and small businesses.

The approach reflects a broader understanding of resilience: communities become stronger when people have access not only to institutional support, but also to the practical tools required to create economic opportunities, address conflict and build more stable local networks.

Why “Rise as One”

This year's concept draws part of its inspiration from sport. WPDI describes sport as a common language capable of moving across geography, politics and belief systems, emphasizing values such as discipline, perseverance, teamwork and resilience as foundations that can also contribute to sustainable peace.

The connection is significant because peacebuilding frequently depends on collective action rather than isolated interventions. Training one individual can create an immediate benefit, but building networks of community leaders capable of collaborating, mentoring others and developing local initiatives can extend that impact considerably further.

“Rise as One” translates that idea into a simple premise: lasting change requires coordination and shared purpose.

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A Different Conversation During a Week of Global Summits

The timing gives the event additional relevance. Climate Week NYC 2026 has brought more than 1,500 events to New York, creating discussions around energy, technology, food systems, business and resilience, while the United Nations General Assembly has simultaneously gathered political and institutional leaders around international challenges.

The WPDI gala is not formally centered on climate policy, yet its focus intersects with one of the themes increasingly visible across global forums: resilience cannot be measured exclusively through infrastructure or economics.

Communities facing displacement, social instability, conflict or economic vulnerability also require human infrastructure, including education, leadership, trust and opportunities for participation. Those elements can influence how effectively societies respond when they encounter environmental, political or economic disruption.

That perspective places peacebuilding alongside the broader resilience agenda without turning the evening into another climate conference. Instead, the gala creates a parallel conversation about the social conditions required for communities to withstand pressure and build their own pathways toward stability.

From Philanthropy to Capacity Building

The model presented by WPDI also reflects an evolution occurring across parts of the philanthropic sector. Traditional aid can provide immediate relief, but organizations are increasingly examining how funding can create longer-term local capacity.

WPDI's programs combine mentorship and vocational skills with resources that allow participants to develop projects within their own communities. According to the organization, gala proceeds will support people in vulnerable and conflict-affected regions through training, trauma healing and assistance for entrepreneurial initiatives.

That emphasis on local ownership can change the role of beneficiaries. Rather than remaining recipients of assistance, participants can become educators, entrepreneurs and peacebuilders capable of multiplying the impact of the original investment.

New York's Global Week Expands Beyond Institutions

As international delegations, business executives and climate leaders move through New York this week, the “Rise as One” Gala offers another lens through which to consider global resilience.

Its message is less about negotiating agreements and more about what happens after international conversations move away from conference rooms: how communities acquire the skills, resources and confidence required to confront instability themselves.

At Gotham Hall, that question will be addressed through the experiences of individuals already doing that work. In a city temporarily filled with discussions about the world's most pressing challenges, WPDI is making the case that some of the most consequential solutions may begin much closer to the ground.