World Health Organization’s Second Summit on Traditional Medicine

From December 17 to 19, 2025, the second global summit on Traditional Medicine, promoted by the World Health Organization, was held in India on the theme: “Restoring Balance: The Science and Practice of Health and Well-Being.”

The objective, in an era of instability, was to understand whether traditional medicine, to what extent and through which specific strategies, can contribute to restoring homeostasis for individuals and the planet.

Objective of the Summit

Purpose of the gathering: to promote a global movement aimed at restoring the balance of the universe, encompassing all its dimensions—physical, spiritual, natural, health, people and the planet—evidence-based, i.e., grounded in the science and practice of Traditional Medicine, in a way that responds effectively and concretely to the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy for Traditional Medicine for the coming decade (2025–2034).

During the Summit’s discussions, the latest evidence and scientific innovations were presented and shared, and at the same time crucial questions were highlighted:

• regulation and integration of health systems;
• the respectful exchange of information with Indigenous populations based on different knowledge and cultural paradigms;
• biodiversity conservation and intellectual property rights;
• the transformative potential of frontier technologies.

Innovations, collaborations, and initiatives that participating countries pledged to advance together, studying concrete strategies and work plans.

Fusion of Old and New

The Summit underscored the importance of bringing together ancient wisdom and modern science in a single reservoir of medical knowledge to safeguard and promote health and global well-being—people and the planet. Experts agree that traditional medicine has long been the driving force behind modernity and well-being, in the broad sense of the term, across cultures and countries for centuries. It has contributed, for example, to the drafting of fundamental medical texts and to modern scientific discoveries, to the development of landmark drugs such as aspirin and artemisinin, and from this body of knowledge have originated practices including yoga and meditation.

Traditional medicine is, moreover, “pioneering” in frontier science, driving new discoveries in areas such as healthcare, which have translated into advances in genomics and artificial intelligence and in holistic, personalized approaches.

Furthermore, growing global attention has enabled, through newer disciplines like bioeconomy, the estimation of the cost of health and well-being, currently running into trillions of dollars.

New Directions and the Global Center for Traditional Medicine

Approximately 90% of WHO Member States that participated in the Summit reported relying on traditional medicine, consequently calling for solid evidence to guide policies, practices, and regulations to ensure safe and effective use of the diverse strategies while promoting equity and sustainability. To support this objective, the WHO established the Global Traditional Medicine Center (GTMC) in 2022 with the support of the Indian government. The GTMC is a department of WHO headquarters, within the Division of Universal Health Coverage and Life Course, with a satellite office in Jamnagar, India.

The Center focuses on promoting research, facilitating knowledge exchange, preserving biodiversity, and fostering partnerships to catalyze ancient wisdom and modern science for the health and well-being of people and the planet.

The Commitments

Seventy-five WHO Member States and other stakeholder groups committed to make specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) commitments to advance the implementation of the WHO Global Strategy on Traditional Medicine 2025–2034. Progress on these commitments will be reported at the next biennial WHO summit in 2027.

For example, among the most recurring requests are:

• establish a national policy, law, and regulation for traditional medicine by 2027 and integrate the WHO Global Strategy on Traditional Medicine 2025–2034 into national policies;
• create a national center for traditional medicine research and a dedicated research budget to strengthen evidence by 2026;
• set up GMP-compliant production for herbal medicines, in line with safety, trade, and economic growth by 2026;
• pilot the inclusion of selected traditional medicines and practices based on scientific evidence in the Universal Health Coverage program, with particular attention to Indigenous and rural populations;
• develop regulations for phytotherapy and good manufacturing practices in line with the WHO by 2027;
• progressively integrate trained traditional medicine professionals and validated therapies into primary health care by 2028;
• define a National Program for the Development and Scale-Up of Natural and Traditional Medicine by 2027;
• contextualize the Global Strategy Program Objectives. Still, 75 Member Countries are seeking to launch a national platform for clinical trials;
• strengthen research and evidence and publish in reputable journals;
• authorize 30 herbal-based medicines, with national and international standards;
• establish a national phytovigilance system and a national research institute by 2028, and much more.

The Commitments

The promises by member countries can be summarized as follows:

• Strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine. Participants commit to implementing the WHO Global Roadmap for Traditional Medicine Research Priorities. Acknowledging that less than 1% of global health research funding goes to traditional medicine, participants intend to expand investments in traditional medicine research infrastructure, in the workforce, and in an ethical, rigorous, and pluralistic research approach that incorporates holistic systems research, real-world evidence, and methodologies that include Indigenous communities.
• Support equitable access to safe and effective traditional medicine through an appropriate regulatory framework. The shared aim is to strengthen coherent governance and a regulatory system for traditional medicine products, practitioners, and practices to ensure safety, quality, efficacy, accountability, accessibility, and trust, while respecting system diversity and biodiversity. This includes, for instance, a more robust pharmacovigilance system, regulatory cooperation, and several other strategies.
• Integrate safe and effective traditional medicine into the health system. The objective will be advanced particularly through primary health care aligned with WHO’s framework for integrating traditional medicine toward universal health coverage, in culturally person-centered ways, prioritizing aspects such as quality assurance, patient safety, training and accreditation, guidelines for clinical practice, workforce development, and interprofessional collaboration through transparent, evidence-based policy and financing decisions.
• Optimize intersectoral value through data, collaboration, and empowered communities. The commitment is to promote meaningful participation of communities and Indigenous populations, recognizing traditional medicine as part of a holistic ecosystem that links the health and well-being of people, communities, and the environment. This means ensuring that community knowledge and scientific evidence jointly inform decision-making.