WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit
17-18 August 2023
The first WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit looked anew at the vast potential and applications of traditional medicine [1] amidst important challenges and opportunities to achieve universal health coverage and well-being for people and the planet.
The Summit 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. The focus on key themes of relevance to traditional medicine helped to chart a roadmap to scale up scientific advances in traditional medicine systems and practices, including research, evidence and learning, policy, data and regulation, clinical practice, innovation and digital health, biodiversity and conservation, and equitable sharing of benefits.
The Summit was co-hosted by the Government of India, which held the G20 presidency in 2023. It was held alongside the G20 Health Ministerial meeting.
The programme and agenda were organized around the core themes of evidence and learning, data and regulation, biodiversity, and innovation and digital health. A joint dialogue with the G20 ministers, to be held during the Summit, focused on the contributions of Indigenous knowledge and traditional medicine to the well-being of societies and economies.
The Expert Advisory Panel composed of nine members from across WHO regions was advising on the content and coherence of the Summit, and its structure, speakers, outcomes, lessons, and follow-up actions.
The Summit was webcasted live on this page, with translations available in all languages of the United Nations and Hindi.
Evidence and learning
A key barrier to enabling access to safe and quality traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) services, including through integration into national health systems, is insufficient scientific knowledge on the safety and efficacy of T&CM products and practices.
A stronger evidence base will enable countries to develop appropriate mechanisms and policy guidance for regulation, quality control and monitoring of T&CM practices, practitioners and products, in accordance with national contexts and priorities.
At the Summit, WHO and the partners presented, among others, evidence maps on the clinical effectiveness of T&CM, epistemology and research methods, use of AI to generate evidence, and a country’s journey on establishing a T&CM research framework.
Data and analytics
Barriers to integration of T&CM into health systems in accordance with national contexts and priorities include lack of policies, regulation, finance, and information on the resources, utility, and safety of T&CM. Another barrier is the lack of a quality framework for training of the T&CM workforce. This workstream addressed the following themes:
- Country data and global evidence, including the emerging findings from WHO’s 3rd global survey on T&CM, insights on regional trends, and countries’ best practices;
- Policy, legal and regulatory landscapes, including a global overview of the status and defining characteristics of national policy, legal and regulatory systems and frameworks on T&CM;
- Data and routine information systems, including formal structures and policies to collect data and establish systems for information management that can leapfrog the utilization of safe and effective T&CM;
- Workforce development: education and regulation, including the assessment of T&CM educational programmes across the globe, current efforts to create training benchmarks, and training modalities for T&CM practitioners in countries; and
- Integrative health for well-being at all ages, including countries’ experiences in integrating T&CM into their health systems according to their contexts and priorities and lessons learnt.
Innovation and digital health frontiers
There has been a remarkable and rapid modernization of the ways traditional medicine is being studied. Artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a game-changer, revolutionizing the study and practice of traditional healing systems. AI’s advanced algorithms and machine learning capabilities have allowed researchers to explore extensive traditional medical knowledge, mapping evidence and identifying once elusive trends. The Summit’s emphasis on advancing knowledge in traditional medicine via a forward-looking research agenda to expand knowledge and develop better products and strategies in health and medicine can have profound implications for global health.
Amid this wave of progress, it is vital to ensure responsible and equitable use of these technologies, including by strengthening digital infrastructure, and addressing ethical considerations, such as data privacy, consent, bias, and fair access.
At the Summit, WHO and the partners explored the opportunities for advancing T&CM in a scientific and evidence-based manner through the use of new technologies and discussed the emerging digital capabilities and the required safeguards.
Biodiversity, sustainability and equity
Conservation of biodiversity is a key issue related to the sustainable use of T&CM.
The Summit served as a forum for the identification and exchange of best practices for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and traditional knowledge; sharing of knowledge and experiences on the use of traditional and ancestral medicine and its promotion through intercultural dialogues to support community health; and exchange of information on practices of access and equitable benefit-sharing by countries, including on the application of intellectual property rights.
[1] Term “traditional medicine” here refers to traditional, complementary, integrative medicine/ health and well-being systems.
