Global Health Roadmap with Delhi Declaration for Traditional Medicine

The World Health Organization's (WHO) second Global Traditional Medicine Summit, held in New Delhi, concluded on Friday with the Delhi Declaration, a common direction and roadmap for countries around the world to integrate safe, effective, and evidence-based traditional medicine into mainstream health systems.

The summit, held from December 17 to 19, was jointly organized by WHO  and the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. Its theme was “Restoring Balance: The Science and Practice of Health and Well-Being.” 

It was attended by health ministers, scientists, doctors, indigenous knowledge holders, innovators and civil society representatives from more than 100 countries.

The Delhi Declaration , adopted by the World Health Assembly earlier this year, advances the implementation of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 and is supported by existing institutional collaborations, including the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, India.

Under the Delhi Declaration, Member States and stakeholders agreed on four key steps to accelerate the implementation of the Strategy:

First,  strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine by increasing investment in and supporting ethical, pluralistic research , and advancing the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Digital Library. 

Second,  ensure safety, quality and public confidence by strengthening  risk-based regulation and drug safety monitoring .

Third,  integrate proven traditional medicine into health systems, especially through primary health care, with  standards, guidelines and workforce development .

Fourth,  advance progress with better data, international collaboration  , and meaningful participation of communities and indigenous peoples, including through equitable and equitable benefit-sharing.

“Together you have shown that traditional medicine is not a thing of the past,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of  the World Health Organization, at the closing ceremony.

It is not a marginalized option, but a living science and a shared heritage. It is also a vital part of universal health coverage (UHC), strong health systems, and sustainable development."

The summit focused on moving beyond recognizing the importance of traditional medicine to setting concrete and measurable steps. 

On Friday, 24 health ministers from various countries discussed innovation, investment, policy and regulation, resulting in specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound commitments.

A total of 26 Member States made commitments, indicating a growing shared commitment globally to advancing safe and evidence-based traditional medicine. 

In addition, academic institutions, professional organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private sector also announced about 60 new specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound commitments.

To ensure accountability and sustainable progress, WHO  announced the formation of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Traditional Medicine, a formal advisory mechanism composed of independent experts.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, addressing the closing ceremony at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, said the summit showed that traditional knowledge and modern science can progress together.

He said that discussions between global experts and health ministers have opened new avenues for joint research, simplification of regulations, training, and knowledge sharing. These steps will help make traditional medicine more safe and reliable.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced several initiatives in line with the summit's outcomes. These included the release of the WHO Technical Report on Yoga Training , which provides a global framework for quality, safety, and uniformity in yoga education.

India  also launched My  Ayush Integrated Services Portal , a national digital platform connecting services, institutions and stakeholders in the Ayush sector. 

Along with this,  AYUSH Mark  has been launched, which is being seen as a global standard for the quality and safety of AYUSH products and services, which is transparent and in accordance with international standards.

A commemorative postage stamp on Ashwagandha was also released, symbolizing the growing global recognition of India's traditional medicinal heritage. 

Also, the book “From Roots to Global Reach: 11 Years of Transformation in Ayush” was released, which documents the development of India's traditional medicine systems since 2014.

The Prime Minister announced the  inauguration of the WHO South-East Asia Regional Office in Delhi on Friday . He described it as a humble gift from India. He said the office will serve as a global hub for promoting research, regulation, and capacity building.

Prime Minister Modi, underscoring India's emphasis on healing partnerships across the world, mentioned two important collaborations. First, the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for BIMSTEC countries , covering South and Southeast Asia. Second, a collaboration with Japan to link science, traditional practices, and health .

At the conclusion of the summit, participants agreed that the true measure of success would be follow-up action: translating the Delhi Declaration into timely national steps, investing in research and workforce development, and responsibly integrating safe and effective traditional medicine into health systems, especially through primary health care.

They committed to priority actions for 2025-2027 to accelerate progress under the Global Traditional Medicine Strategy by 2034. They also emphasized strengthening international collaboration, progress reporting, and shared accountability.

Member States also highlighted the role of WHO, including the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine.

This story is adapted from UN News Hindi story. Click here