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24 Nov 2025 : The future of health lies in harmony

 Editorial 2: ​The future of health lies in harmony

 

Context

The Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine will further reinforce the global understanding of traditional medicine as a valuable scientific and social resource.

 

Introduction

The world today faces escalating lifestyle diseases, worsening environmental degradation, and increasing social fragmentation, prompting a deeper recognition that we must rebuild harmony between people and the planet, progress and sustainability, and innovation and intuition. Restoring this balance is no longer optional and it has become an essential necessity.

Health as Harmony

  • Health has always been understood as a state of inner and outer harmony within the human body and between humanity and nature.
  • Traditional medicine views health not as the mere absence of disease but as a state of equilibrium.
  • The modern push for well-being is essentially a rediscovery of this age-old understanding, now reinforced through evidence-based research.

Global Use of Traditional Medicine

  • The WHO notes that nearly 90% of member states report usage of traditional medicine.
  • For billions, especially in low- and middle-income countries, it remains the first line of care due to accessibility and affordability.

Holistic Value Beyond Health Care

  • Traditional medicine contributes to biodiversity, nutrition, food security, and livelihoods, embodying the idea of integrative health.
  • India’s AYUSH sector, valued at $43.4 billion, reflects a shift from reactive healthcare to preventive, proactive, and personalised models.
  • This global shift shows that well-being requires a holistic ecosystem balancing mind and body, humans and environment, and science and spirit.
  • India has emerged as a global hub for innovation in the traditional medicine sector.

Role of WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC)

  • The GTMC acts as a global knowledge hub for evidence-based research, collaboration, and innovation in traditional medicine.
  • Its focus areas include evidence and learning, data and analytics, sustainability, and equity.
  • The Centre emphasises respect for local heritage, resources, and rights in a globalised world.
  • Located in Jamnagar, Gujarat, it symbolises shared global leadership and WHO’s belief in evidence-driven traditional medicine.

India’s Leadership in Evidence-Based Traditional Medicine

  • India’s commitment is rooted in the belief that knowledge must benefit humanity collectively.
  • Initiatives include:
    • A dedicated AYUSH department at the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS)
    • Development of global standards for AYUSH systems through ISO/TC 249/SC 2
  • These steps promote wider global acceptance of Indian traditional medicine.

Global Recognition and The Gujarat Declaration

  • The first WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine (August 2023, Gandhinagar) brought together global leaders, scientists, and practitioners.
  • It strengthened political will, encouraged data-driven action, and laid the foundation for integrating traditional medicine into national health systems.
  • The Gujarat Declaration called for protecting biodiversity, ensuring fair benefit-sharing, promoting digital innovation, and enabling equitable access to traditional health knowledge.

Next Steps in Global Collaboration

  • To deepen research and innovation, WHO and the Government of India will co-host the Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi (Dec 17–19, 2025).
  • With the theme “Restoring balance: The science and practice of health and well-being”, it will support WHO’s Global Traditional Medicine Strategy (2025–34).

Future of Traditional Medicine

  • These initiatives aim not only to honour traditional medicine’s heritage but also to lead it into a future shaped by scientific validation, technology, and ethical principles.
  • India is home to Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Sowa-Rigpa and continues to show how traditional knowledge can coexist with modern science.

 

Conclusion

India’s approach is anchored in integration, blending tradition with technology, research with community participation, and well-being with sustainability. As the world comes together once more with a shared resolve to restore balance, India offers a clear and powerful message: health must heal, not harm; progress must sustain, not consume; and science must serve, not separate. The summit represents more than a gathering and it is a global moment of convergence, reaffirming that the future of health depends on harmony.