Context:
• The Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), hosted an Ambassadors’ Reception in New Delhi as a precursor to the 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, scheduled for 17–19 December 2025 in New Delhi.
• The event brought together ambassadors, high commissioners, and diplomatic representatives to discuss the summit’s vision, health relevance, and multilateral opportunities for promoting evidence-based traditional medicine worldwide.
Key Highlights:
- Global Vision and Summit Overview
• The 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine aims to advance integrative, evidence-based healthcare by uniting global stakeholders in traditional and modern medicine.
• The theme of the 2025 Summit — “Restoring Balance: The Science and Practice of Health and Wellbeing” — reflects a global commitment to holistic, equitable, and sustainable healthcare systems.
• India and WHO seek to align traditional wisdom with modern scientific validation, ensuring that traditional medicine contributes to “Health for All.” - India’s Leadership Role in Global Health Diplomacy
• India has emerged as a global anchor in promoting traditional medicine as a credible, science-backed component of universal healthcare.
• Through collaboration with WHO’s Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) in Jamnagar, Gujarat, India is leading research on standardization, safety, efficacy, and quality assurance in traditional therapies.
• The Traditional Medicine Global Library is another initiative that consolidates global data, evidence, and case studies for policy, research, and clinical applications. - Key Outcomes Expected from the Summit
• Policy Alignment: Reinforce the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034, endorsed by the World Health Assembly (WHA 78).
• Research & Innovation: Highlight new scientific evidence, innovations, and clinical trials integrating traditional and modern systems.
• Multilateral Cooperation: Strengthen international partnerships for research, regulation, and education in traditional medicine.
• Ministerial Roundtable: Foster high-level participation by WHO Member States to commit to inclusive, affordable, and evidence-driven healthcare systems. - Traditional Medicine as a Pillar of Universal Health Coverage
• Over 170 WHO Member States report the use of traditional medicine within their national health frameworks.
• India and WHO advocate for an evidence-based, people-centred, and culturally inclusive health system, integrating Ayush practices (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy, and Sowa-Rigpa).
• Traditional medicine represents not just therapeutic systems but cultural identity, community wisdom, and ecological harmony, aligning health with sustainability. - Strategic Global Significance of India’s Initiative
• India’s initiative reaffirms its role as a knowledge leader and bridge-builder between tradition and science.
• The Summit promotes India’s soft power diplomacy and supports SDG 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) and SDG 17 (Global Partnerships).
• The collaboration reinforces the Ayush sector’s transformation from indigenous heritage to globally recognized scientific discipline. - Ambassadors’ Reception – Strengthening International Collaboration
• The Reception served as a strategic diplomatic engagement to mobilize participation and reinforce collective commitment toward integrative global health.
• Diplomats expressed support for creating a balanced global health ecosystem where traditional knowledge systems complement modern medical science.
• The Ministry of Ayush urged all missions to ensure active government participation in the December 2025 Summit.
Relevant Prelims Points:
WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine
• Event: 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, New Delhi (Dec 17–19, 2025).
• Organizer: Ministry of Ayush, Government of India, with WHO.
• Theme: “Restoring Balance: The Science and Practice of Health and Wellbeing.”
• WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM): Established in Jamnagar, Gujarat, in 2022 – world’s first and only WHO Centre dedicated to traditional medicine.
Relevant Mains Points:
• GS Paper 2 – International Relations & Health Diplomacy:
- India’s leadership in WHO-led traditional medicine initiatives demonstrates growing global health influence.
- Strengthens multilateralism and South–South cooperation through scientific and cultural exchange.
• GS Paper 3 – Science & Technology / Health: - Promotes evidence-based integration of traditional and modern medicine.
- Encourages R&D, pharmacovigilance, and digital repositories (Global Library) for transparency and innovation.
• GS Paper 1 – Culture & Heritage: - Showcases traditional medicine as part of India’s intangible cultural heritage and a knowledge system rooted in ecology and community wisdom.
• GS Paper 4 – Ethics in Medicine: - Reinforces principles of holistic wellbeing, inclusivity, and sustainability, bridging science with traditional moral-philosophical frameworks.
- Key SDGs Linked: SDG 3 (Health & Wellbeing), SDG 17 (Partnerships).