Women from a dozen countries convened in New York this week to share their struggles to implement state legislation and empower women at the grassroots level to put an end to gender- based violence worldwide.

Hosted by UNFPA, the Nov. 4-5 high-level consultation entitled 'Delivering as One on Violence Against Women: From Intent to Action' addressed the triumphs and tribulations of the Inter-Agency Task Force's pilot programme on gender-based violence.

Since Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon launched 'UNiTE to End Violence Against Women' in 2006, various U.N. agencies, civil society organisations and national coalitions have taken up the struggle, with renewed vigour.

The pilot programme, launched in Burkina Faso, Rwanda, Jamaica, Paraguay, Chile, Fiji, Jordan, Yemen, Kyrgyzstan and the Philippines, was based on the supposition that greater cohesion across regions and between organisations was needed to yield the greatest benefits for women's security. The pilot sought to connect multiple stakeholders through joint programming in the 10 countries.

"This all comes down to a question of empowerment," Aminata Toure, Chief of Gender, Culture and Human Rights at the UNFPA, told IPS. "We have to first turn victims into survivors and then into activists and advocates."

Read the full story by Kanya D'Almeida from IPS

See the video presentation.