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NewsThe WHO's Group of Friends of Traditional Medicine held its 8th meeting in Geneva, welcoming four new member states and advancing a global strategy for traditional medicine through 2034. Discussions covered legal frameworks, intellectual property protections, and a new "Living Well" initiative. Thailand also stepped up to host the next WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in 2027.
Representatives from WHO Member States, the traditional medicine community, and international partners gathered in Geneva on September 23, 2026, to mark Ayurveda Day and hold the 8th meeting of the Group of Friends of Traditional Medicine. The event, hosted at India's Permanent Mission, focused on advancing the Global Strategy on Traditional Medicine 2025–2034, adopted by the World Health Assembly in 2025.
Four new countries — Egypt, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Suriname — joined the group, bringing total membership to 36 states. Key discussions centered on strengthening legal frameworks, reducing export barriers for traditional medicine products, protecting Indigenous intellectual property rights, and leveraging medical tourism and national centers of excellence through cross-ministerial collaboration.
A new initiative called Living Well was also introduced — a multisectoral action framework aimed at promoting health and well-being across sectors like agriculture, education, trade, and tourism, including a proposed global trust mark for responsible sourcing and safety verification.
Quick Facts
Why it matters: Traditional medicine serves billions of people worldwide, and this growing coalition signals a serious push to integrate it into formal health systems — with safeguards for safety, sustainability, and Indigenous knowledge protection.
