Traditional Medicine Moves to the Forefront at 78th World Health Assembly, Paving the Way for Global Integration
Traditional medicine—long an integral part of diverse cultures and communities across the globe—commanded unprecedented attention at the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78), held from 19 to 27 May 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland. With a renewed global momentum toward reimagining health systems through more inclusive and culturally relevant models of care, delegates from WHO Member States placed traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) firmly on the global health agenda.
Central to the Assembly’s discourse was the recognition that traditional medicine, when rigorously studied and responsibly regulated, can significantly enhance the quality, accessibility, and equity of health services worldwide. These conversations culminated in a landmark achievement on 26 May 2025: the adoption of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034. This ten-year blueprint outlines a vision for the future of TCIM that is rooted in scientific evidence, sustainability, respect for indigenous knowledge, and patient-centered health-care delivery.
A Milestone Strategy for the Next Decade of Traditional Medicine
The newly endorsed Global Strategy marks a decisive step forward in WHO’s commitment to the integration of TCIM within modern health systems. Member States engaged in extensive deliberations to shape the Strategy, which encompasses four key pillars: building a robust scientific evidence base for traditional practices; establishing regulatory mechanisms to ensure safety and quality; developing integrated health-care models that appropriately combine conventional and traditional services; and ensuring the training and certification of qualified TCIM practitioners.
Importantly, the Strategy acknowledges the vital contributions of indigenous peoples, explicitly recognizing their knowledge systems while also emphasizing the importance of safeguarding their rights. Moreover, the document connects the future of traditional medicine to broader global goals, such as biodiversity conservation and environmental sustainability.
Under the Strategy, WHO will serve as a critical partner to Member States—supporting efforts to generate research, create regulatory frameworks, develop practitioner networks, and build digital and data infrastructure to modernize TCIM systems. These activities aim to make traditional medicine a legitimate, equitable, and effective part of national health strategies.
The finalization of the Strategy followed two years of robust global and regional consultation. More than 1,200 comments were submitted by Member States, WHO offices at all levels, civil society actors, and expert stakeholders. Indigenous organizations and the World Intellectual Property Organization were also engaged in the process. The final debate at WHA78 saw 47 formal interventions from Member States—all overwhelmingly supportive—alongside four contributions from non-State actors.
Building Global Momentum Through High-Level Events
The adoption of the Strategy was the culmination of a series of high-level side events that brought political, scientific and civil society actors together around the shared goal of advancing TCIM.
One such gathering occurred on 20 May 2025, when ministers and global health leaders participated in the event titled “Improving Universal Health Coverage through the Implementation of the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034.” Co-hosted by China’s National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine in collaboration with Malaysia, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, and Seychelles, the event reinforced China’s role as a global leader in the policy, education, and clinical integration of traditional medicine. Speakers underscored the power of TCIM to bridge gaps in access to care and drive innovations aligned with universal health coverage (UHC).
A second major side event took place on 23 May 2025, organized by India and 31 other Member States of the Group of Friends of Traditional Medicine (GFTM). Entitled “Traditional Medicine: From Traditional Knowledge to Frontier Science, for Health for All,” the event spotlighted India’s robust achievements in developing a national TCIM ecosystem. With more than 250 delegates in attendance, the session celebrated India’s Ayush system as a model of how traditional medicine can be mainstreamed within a national health infrastructure. The event served as both a celebration and a rallying call for deeper international cooperation.
Engaging the Private Sector and Innovating for the Future
In parallel with government efforts, WHA78 also served as a platform for expanding private sector engagement in the traditional medicine space. A panel discussion hosted on 20 May 2025 by the Geneva-based Health Innovation Exchange explored how private and public stakeholders can collaborate to scale evidence-based TCIM innovations. The panel featured leaders from diverse sectors, including:
- Dr. Pierre Somsé, Minister of Public Health and Population, Central African Republic
- Dr. Benjamin Njoudalbaye, Interim Head, Africa Medicines Agency
- Aditya Burman, Director, Dabur India
- Dr. Shyama Kuruvilla, Director a.i., WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre
Panelists emphasized the urgent need for sustainable financing models, stronger regulatory standards, and ethical frameworks—particularly in relation to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in validating traditional practices. Participants discussed the importance of equitable benefit-sharing and the protection of indigenous knowledge, both of which are essential to ensuring that the growth of TCIM does not come at the expense of the communities that have nurtured it for generations.
Digital Tools and Global Data: A New Era for TCIM Surveillance
On 21 May 2025, WHO unveiled a groundbreaking digital tool: the first-ever WHO Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) Dashboards. These interactive platforms offer country-level and global profiles based on the results of the Third WHO Global Survey on TCIM, conducted between April 2023 and March 2024.
These dashboards mark a pivotal shift in how traditional medicine is monitored and evaluated. Transitioning from static survey formats to dynamic, real-time data systems, the dashboards empower national governments to update and manage their TCIM data continuously. This initiative reflects WHO’s broader digital transformation agenda and will play a crucial role in shaping evidence-informed policymaking in TCIM over the next decade.
Major Announcements: India’s Ayush System Goes Global
Another key development at WHA78 was the signing of a US$3 million Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between WHO and India’s Ministry of Ayush. The MoU supports the inclusion of traditional Indian medical practices—Ayurveda, Siddha, and Unani—into the International Classification of Health Interventions (ICHI).
By incorporating these systems into the global health classification framework, WHO aims to standardize and legitimize Ayush practices within international health-care data systems. The move was welcomed by WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and celebrated by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his national radio address, Mann Ki Baat, as a milestone for India’s contribution to global health.
Raising Awareness at WHA78
In addition to these high-profile events and agreements, WHO engaged directly with Assembly participants through “Ask Me” information stands, set up on 21 May 2025. These interactive hubs allowed delegates to explore the new Strategy, view the TCIM dashboards, and engage with experts about WHO’s ongoing work in traditional medicine.
Toward the Global Traditional Medicine Summit in New Delhi
The adoption of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 signals not only a new chapter in health policy but also a global consensus on the need for inclusive, respectful, and evidence-based approaches to integrating TCIM into modern health care. As the world moves from strategy to implementation, the emphasis will be on building trust, fostering research, and ensuring that TCIM is anchored in national health plans.
The momentum is set to continue at the second WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit, scheduled to take place in New Delhi from 2 to 4 December 2025. This event will serve as a key opportunity to align global stakeholders, share best practices, and translate the Strategy’s goals into measurable outcomes.
With broad international support and increasing recognition of its potential, traditional medicine is no longer a peripheral subject—it is rapidly becoming a central pillar in the evolution of global health systems.
