Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine
17–19 December 2025 | New Delhi, India
The inaugural WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, held in 2023, catalysed political commitment and collective action towards the evidence-based integration of Traditional Medicine* for the health and well-being of people and the planet. Held alongside the G20 Health Ministerial Meeting, it culminated in the Gujarat Declaration, which summarized the evidence-informed outcomes of the Summit.
The action agenda launched at the first Global Summit prioritized key areas to advance Traditional Medicine and supported the development of the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034. Momentum continued through WHO regional consultations on Traditional Medicine research priority setting in Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Copenhagen, Manila, Riyadh and São Paulo, and technical workshops on regulation, workforce capacity, intellectual property, equitable access benefit sharing, Indigenous Peoples’ knowledge exchange and biodiversity preservation.
Global forums including the 2024 World Conference on Traditional Medicine in Beijing, COP16 on biodiversity in Cali, the AI for Good Summit in Geneva and the World Health Summit in Berlin sustained this progress. At the same time, WHO, Member States and partners implemented prioritized Traditional Medicine workstreams aligned with the Strategy’s objectives. These advances have contributed to, and will be showcased at, the second WHO Global Summit.
WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre will convene the second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, jointly organized by WHO and the Government of the Republic of India.
The Summit aims to advance a global movement to restore balance for people and the planet, grounded in the science and practice of Traditional Medicine. Guided by the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034, the Summit will highlight the latest evidence and innovations, and address critical issues including systems regulation and integration to ensure safety, efficacy and access; respectful information exchange with Indigenous Peoples and across knowledge paradigms; biodiversity preservation and intellectual property rights to secure equitable access and benefit sharing; and the transformative potential of frontier technologies, including artificial intelligence and genomics. New products, collaborations and initiatives will be presented, alongside concrete pledges and commitments.
The Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 was adopted in May 2025 at the 78th World Health Assembly, establishing a global consensus on definitions, objectives and guiding principles.
The Strategy recognizes Traditional Medicine as a living science that contributes to universal health coverage, health equity and sustainability. It provides a global roadmap to ensure safe, effective, evidence-based and equitable integration of Traditional Medicine into health care systems, while respecting cultural diversity and Indigenous knowledge, contributing to biodiversity conservation and promoting sustainability and innovation.
* The term Traditional Medicine (TM) is used to encompass all of the following:
