The World Health Organization (WHO) on December 17 launched its Second Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, jointly organised with the Government of India.
The three-day event brings together ministers, scientists, Indigenous leaders, and practitioners from over 100 countries.
The Summit will unveil major scientific initiatives and new commitments aimed at advancing the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034.
The strategy focuses on stronger evidence, improved regulation, integration into health systems, collaboration, and community engagement.
Traditional medicine (TM) includes both codified and non-codified systems that predate modern biomedicine. It continues to evolve for contemporary use and remains a key source of healthcare for millions worldwide.
WHO reports that nearly 90% of its member states—170 out of 194—say that 40–90% of their populations use traditional medicine.
“WHO is committed to uniting the wisdom of millennia with the power of modern science and technology to realise the vision of health for all,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.
“By engaging responsibly, ethically, and equitably, and by harnessing innovation from AI to genomics, we can unlock the potential of traditional medicine to deliver safer, smarter, and more sustainable health solutions for every community and for our planet.”
The Summit emphasises the role of TM in expanding access to healthcare. Globally, nearly 4.6 billion people lack access to essential health services, while more than 2 billion face financial hardship in seeking care.
Experts say integrating TM into health systems can improve affordability, choice, and health outcomes, while also reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics.
“Stronger collaborations and frontier technologies – such as AI, genomics, systems biology, neurosciences and advanced data analytics – can transform how we study and apply traditional medicine,” said Dr Sylvie Briand, WHO Chief Scientist.
She added: “We need to apply the same scientific rigour to the assessment and validation of biomedicine and traditional medicines, while respecting biodiversity, cultural specificities and ethical principles.”
The global TM sector is a fast-growing industry, with herbal medicines and other natural products serving as a foundation for new drug discovery.
Indigenous Peoples, who represent just 6% of the world’s population, safeguard around 40% of global biodiversity. Experts stress that advancing TM requires addressing Indigenous rights, fair trade, and benefit-sharing considerations.
Despite its widespread use, less than 1% of global health research funding is devoted to TM. To address knowledge gaps, WHO announced the launch of the Traditional Medicine Global Library. The online repository, the first of its kind, contains over 1.6 million scientific records on research, policies, and regulations across TM applications.
The Library provides equitable online access for institutions in lower-income countries through the Research4Life initiative and supports countries in documenting TM with intellectual property protections.
“Advancing traditional medicine is an evidence-based, ethical and environmental imperative,” said Dr Shyama Kuruvilla, Director a.i. of WHO’s Global Traditional Medicine Centre. “The Global Summit fosters the conditions and collaborations required for TM to contribute at scale to the flourishing of all people and the planet.”
The Summit will continue through 19 December 2025, during which governments and other stakeholders are expected to announce new commitments and form a global consortium to accelerate implementation of the WHO Global TM Strategy.
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