India Commits $85 Million to WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre

The Government of India has committed US$ 85 million over a ten-year period from 2022 to 2032 to support the programming of the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Traditional Medicine Centre, according to a WHO release issued earlier in the week. This decade-long financial contribution will fund a cross-sectoral work program designed to strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine by providing data and evidence on policies, practices, products, and public use worldwide.

The US$ 250 Million Investment and WHO Core Work

According to the WHO, the new donor agreement forms part of a broader US$ 250 million investment from India to establish the WHO Global Centre of Traditional Medicine in 2022. This overarching funding encompasses financial support for the centre’s work plan, interim premises, and a new building.

The substantial contribution from the Government of India will also scale up WHO’s capacities on traditional medicine across technical divisions and regions. Furthermore, a portion of the funds will be allocated to WHO’s Investment Round to resource core agency work during 2025 through 2028, according to the world health body.

Global Health Integration and Leadership Perspectives

Arriving at a highly opportune moment, India’s leadership and dedication serve to broaden the evidence-based impact of traditional medicine on the health and wellness of humanity and the earth. Traditional medicine, supported within national health systems, can allow us to reach those most often left behind. Integration of traditional practice and knowledge is critical to achieving health for all.

In Geneva, Ambassador Arindam Bagchi, Permanent Representative of India to the UN and other International Organizations, stated that India remains committed to supporting WHO efforts to strengthen traditional medicine systems globally to achieve universal health coverage, particularly through the Jamnagar facility.

Core Areas of the Jamnagar Centre and Upcoming Milestones

Led by Director a.i. These areas include research and evidence, primary health care and universal health coverage, Indigenous Knowledges and biodiversity, digital health applications, and biennial global summits and collaborations, according to WHO documentation. This funding builds upon earlier collaborations between India and the global health agency. To back the technical initiatives of the WHO Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCI) division, India entered into a five-year pact in 2023. That unit develops standardized terminologies, key benchmark documents, and other evidence-informed technical products to support safe integration into national systems. The first WHO traditional medicine global summit took place in August 2023 in Gujarat, producing a multistakeholder action agenda known as the Gujarat Declaration. Following the expected rollout of the Global Strategy for Traditional Medicine 2025–2034 at the 78th World Health Assembly in May 2025, the subsequent WHO Global Summit is set for November 2025.