OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Overcoming social barriers and geographical divides, a grassroots worker from India, Latha Gauri, has succeeded in creating a space for the concerns of the common people at the Second World Summit on Information Society (WSIS). The WSIS process, currently in progression at Tunis, the capital city of Tunisia in Africa seeks to create an Information Society which is accessible to all and based on shared knowledge. Latha, a video reporter from Kothlapur village, Andhra Pradesh India, capped months of relentless efforts by the Grassroots Caucus formed earlier this year. 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 emergence of a true Information Society.

In her address at a WSIS Plenary on 17th November 2005, Latha highlighted how there was hardly any grassroots representation in a summit that spoke about taking the information revolution to the most marginalised sections of the society. According to Latha, ‘When we talk about health, HIV/AIDS, education, conducive environment, I believe all these issues are talked about in the Millennium Development Goals, however, we forget about grassroots and we do not make them understand these policy decisions in their local language.’

In all development processes, grassroots communities are as much the stakeholders as they are the beneficiaries. There is a need to recognise them as such and give them equal participation in initiatives like WSIS and others. Therefore, members of the Grassroots Caucus demand that the recommendations incorporated in the Grassroots Charter (attached) be taken due note of at Tunis and also in implementing its outcomes.

OneWorld South Asia believes that development initiatives cannot achieve their true potential unless they take into account the needs, concerns and voices of the communities they are aimed at.

Excerpts from Latha Gauri’s address to world leaders on November 17, 2005: 'I am Latha Gauri from Kothlapur village of Hyderabad, Southern India. I use 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 my community.

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. 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.'

Text of the Grassroots Charter

• Grassroots communities should be consulted in the process of managing finances for ICT4D to prioritise areas of funding such as capacity building and content development.
• Grassroots communities should be the process of for ICT4D to prioritise areas of funding such as capacity building and content development.
• Ownership for management and running of Rural Information Centres should lie with the grassroots communities.
• Government/private sector need to ensure that the required ICT infrastructure facilities are made available at the grassroots such that the costs for ICT services could be recovered from the grassroots.
• Capacity Building of grassroots communities to own, operate and manage telecentres should be recognised as the prime need.
• Capacity building through training, South-South and North-South Learning exchange programmes has to be ensured as a priority.
• Grassroots communities should be recognised and acknowledged as repositories of Local Knowledge.
• Grassroots communities should be actively engaged at all stages of locale-specific content management such as needs assessment, content aggregation and dissemination based on the their own needs.
• Value added relevant content has to be made available at the telecentres based on grassroots needs.
• For the grassroots communities, content should be a judicious blend of local and global knowledge.
• Content flow should involve a top down and bottom up approach.
• Content has to be provided in the local language of the communities.
• Information Societies should be sensitive to the needs of women, children, youth, disabled and marginalised groups.
• Information Societies should respect the cultural practices and safeguard the traditional diversity that exists in grassroots communities.
• Traditional Media like folk, print, audio and video have to be recognised as key sources of information dissemination at the grassroots.
• Information Societies must ensure equitable access to knowledge, breaking the barriers of social status, religion, gender, economic status, language, literacy and age at the grassroots.

Secretariat of Grassroots Caucus OneWorld South Asia