The Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine: India to Host in New Delhi

World Health Organization (WHO) and the Government of India have signed officially a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to host jointly the Second Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, to be hosted in New Delhi in 2025. The event represents a significant milestone in the acknowledgment of traditional medicine as an integral component of world health and sustainable development.

Background: A Renewed Focus on Traditional Healing

The inaugural WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine took place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, in August 2023, in conjunction with the G20 Health Ministers’ Meeting. The summit gathered ministers, scientists, and policymakers from more than 90 nations to discuss the scientific verification, integration, and regulation of traditional healing systems.

The success of the 2023 summit induced an increasing call for a sequel — one that goes deeper into how traditional medicine can coexist alongside contemporary health systems. This is why WHO and India decided to deepen their collaboration for the second edition in New Delhi.

What Is Traditional Medicine in WHO’s Context?

Traditional medicine encompasses a broad variety of health beliefs and practices, knowledge, and behaviors that utilize plants, minerals, animal products, manual methods, or mind-body techniques. In India, these are exemplified in the systems of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Yoga, and Naturopathy.

WHO appreciates that close to 80% of the global population uses some type of traditional or complementary medicine. Still, standardization, safety, evidence-based legitimacy, and equal access are the foremost global challenges.

 What the WHO–India MoU Means

The fresh MoU puts India’s emerging leadership in traditional and integrative medicine on formal basis. It encompasses:

• Joint hosting of the summit and associated research events.
• Scaling up WHO’s Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM), already located in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
• Data and evidence framework collaboration for ensuring traditional practices attain contemporary health standards.
• Supporting innovation and sustainability through herbal medicine and holistic models of care.

This action is also in line with India’s “Heal in India” and “Heal by India” programs, which are meant to make India a centre for medical and wellness tourism.

Themes to be covered in the 2025 Summit

The summit should consider:

• Blending traditional medicine with primary healthcare systems.
• Digital documentation and AI-driven authentication of traditional knowledge.
• World trade and intellectual property rights for traditional products.
• Environmental sustainability of herbal and plant-based medicine farming.
• Women’s health and community well-being through traditional means.

Representatives from around the globe — scientists, policy-makers, and practitioners — are anticipated to join in, closing the gap between ancient knowledge and contemporary science.

Why It Matters

This is not merely a celebration of heritage; it’s a way of making history for global health. Conventional medicine, supported by strong evidence and ethics, may provide affordable, accessible, and culturally appropriate care to millions.

For India, hosting this summit indicates its long tradition of holistic healing dating back to centuries and its contemporary dream of leading wellness innovation globally.

Brief Summary

• Event: Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine
• Date: 2025 (to be officially declared)
• Location: New Delhi, India
• Organizers: Government of India & WHO
• Theme: Synthesis of traditional and contemporary healthcare for the good of humanity