As the spread of coronavirus grows, each day brings a new announcement of a cancelled festival or conference, and while it means forfeiting flights or meetings, for others it presents an opportunity.
The United Nations Commission for the Status of Women in New York was due to start on Tuesday and run for 11 days, but it was cancelled with just a week's notice.
Instead just a single-day meeting was held earlier this week to reaffirm the United Nation's commitments made 25 years ago.
New co-director of the 50/50 by 2030 Foundation at the University of Canberra Kim Rubenstein suddenly had an empty week in her diary, and realised many other attendees from Australia would too.
And so the Seize the CSW Moment conference was born - a snap event bringing together leaders in gender equality in Australia, including Sex discrimination Commissioner Kate Jenkins and director of the Workplace Gender Equality Agency Libby Lyons.
Former sex discrimination commissioner Elizabeth Broderick and Helen Dalley-Fisher from the Equality Rights Alliance are also headlining the event.
Professor Rubenstein said the cancellation also provided an opportunity for people in Australia who couldn't afford to travel to New York.
"What happens at the UN, there is the meeting and then there's side events of civil society participants, this is a way for the Australian civil society participants to meet," Professor Rubenstein said.
The Seize the Moment event will gather and harness ideas on gender equality, especially around how to react to backlash against measures to improve gender equality across the world, Professor Rubenstein said.
- The Seize the CSW Moment conference will be held at the University of Canberra from Thursday March 12 and Friday March 13.
