The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a landmark initiative to bridge the ancient and the modern: the Traditional Medicine Global Library (TMGL). This first-of-its-kind digital platform, unveiled at the conclusion of the second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi, represents a quantum leap in how the world accesses, validates, and integrates millennia-old healing wisdom.
More than just a repository, the TMGL is a dynamic, intelligent ecosystem. It consolidates a staggering 1.6 million resources, ranging from peer-reviewed scientific studies and clinical trial data to Indigenous knowledge systems and historical texts that have often existed only in oral or localized written traditions. This consolidation is crucial for moving traditional medicine from the periphery to the mainstream of global health discourse.
The library’s advanced features are designed to accelerate evidence-based practice and research. Its Evidence Gap Maps provide visual, interactive tools to identify where robust scientific studies exist and—more importantly—where critical research is lacking. This allows researchers, funders, and policymakers to strategically direct efforts to build the evidence base. Furthermore, the integration of TMGL GPT, an AI-powered tool, promises to transform user interaction. Imagine a researcher asking, “What are documented traditional remedies for managing type 2 diabetes in Southeast Asia, and what clinical evidence supports them?” The AI can synthesize information across thousands of documents in seconds, providing a curated starting point for deeper investigation.
The Summit was a powerhouse of forward-thinking initiatives. Alongside the library, WHO launched Health & Heritage Innovations (H2I), an incubator for projects that fuse traditional practices with cutting-edge technology. From over 1,000 submissions, 21 finalists were selected for a year-long acceleration programme. These innovations might include using AI to analyze the chemical compounds in medicinal plants predicted by traditional knowledge, applying genomics to understand individualized responses to herbal therapies, or creating digital health apps that guide users through validated traditional wellness routines.
Governance and strategy also received major upgrades. WHO announced the formation of the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (STAG-TM). This body of 19 independent experts is tasked with a monumental mandate: shaping global research priorities, developing international safety and quality standards, and providing pragmatic guidance on how to responsibly integrate these practices into national health systems. At its inaugural meeting, the group immediately prioritized evidence generation, knowledge preservation, digital innovation, and capacity building—the four pillars essential for sustainable progress.
The political will for this transformation was crystallized in the Delhi Declaration, endorsed by 26 WHO Member States. This is more than a statement of intent; it’s a collective action plan. Signatory countries pledge to integrate traditional medicine into primary healthcare, strengthen regulation (addressing critical issues of safety, adulteration, and misleading claims), invest in rigorous research, and build interoperable data systems to track health outcomes. As WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated, this marks a decisive “shift from recognition to results,” ensuring traditional medicine becomes a driver of universal health coverage rather than a parallel system.
“Traditional medicine can help to address many of the threats to health of our modern world,” Dr. Tedros explained. “It offers tools for the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases, can help bridge inequitable access to services, and provides a culturally grounded, person-centered model of holistic care.”
The scale of the summit—with over 16,000 online registrations, 800 delegates from 100 countries, and 160 speakers—reflects the immense global interest. The energy in Delhi was palpable, not just as a celebration of heritage, but as a strategic convening to operationalize the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034.
Looking ahead, the path is clear. The Traditional Medicine Global Library provides the foundational knowledge. The H2I initiative fuels the innovation. The STAG-TM offers the expert guidance. And the Delhi Declaration supplies the political commitment. Together, they chart a bold course toward a more inclusive, resilient, and integrative future for global health, where the wisdom of the past is rigorously evaluated and ethically applied to meet the health challenges of the present and future.
(Edited by Emmanuel Yashim)
