Latha Gauri, a video reporter from Kothlapur village, Andhra Pradesh India, was the second grassroots knowledge worker to take the voices and concerns of the grassroots communities across the world, to the international policy platform at WSIS II at Tunis on November 17, 2005.
Her speech at the World Plenary on WSIS caps months of relentless efforts by the Grassroots Caucus formed soon after the second WSIS Prep COM, in Geneva, earlier this year. Ms. P. Pakkialachoumy of Pondicherry was the first grassroots women to represent the grassroots communities at the UN Plenary in February 2005.
The Grassroots caucus represents more than 500 grassroots knowledge workers who want to be recognized as key stakeholders of the Information Society decisions and their implementation. The Grassroots Caucus, spearheaded by OneWorld South Asia, has presented a charter of demands to the world leaders for the emerging Information Society. GRASSROOTS CAUCUS RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE WSIS PLAN OF ACTION
Latha Gauris address to the world leaders on November 17, 2005:
At WSIS, we are talking about grassroots caucus, but among 17,000 people participating in WSIS, there are not many grassroots.
When we talk of multi-stakeholder partnership, say government, public/private sector, civil society, media, advocacy groups, in all these, grassroots are the main stakeholders and others are partners.
When we talk about health, HIV/AIDS, education, conducive environment, I believe all these issues are talked in MDGs, we forget about grassroots and we do not make them understand these policy decisions in their local language.
Apart from digital divide, there is a need to address the knowledge gap which is prevailing. Rural communities should be enabled to have access to knowledge, especially those who are earning less than a $ 1 day.
Grassroots representatives should be enabled to sit across the table with policy makers to express their needs while framing the policies.
I am here representing the grassroots communities and speaking on their behalf as a member of the grassroots caucus.
I thank OneWorld International Foundation to provide me the opportunity to speak at this forum.
I am Latha Gauri from Kothlapur village of Hyderabad, Southern India. I am using video as tool to educate the community. I am also working as a Community Resource Person, News reader in Manna TV, (KU Band) a local channel in Hyderabad. I am also supporting Self-Help Groups from the last 3 years.
Representative of OneWorld International representative, C/o OneWorld South Asia,
www.oneworld.net
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