Published on: 2026-09-17
Source: United Nations – United Nations –
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September 17, 2026 Healthcare
Billions of people around the world rely on traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine, yet less than one percent of global medical research funding is directed towards studying these approaches.
Today, countries are seeking new solutions to combat non-communicable diseases, which claim more than 43 million lives annually, and are striving to make healthcare services universally accessible. Against this backdrop, the World Health Organization (WHO) calls the lack of funding for research related to traditional and complementary medicine “one of the biggest gaps in the global health evidence base.”
On Thursday, the organization presented the document “Global Research Priorities and WHO Agenda on Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine for 2025–2034.” This roadmap aims to help countries determine how research into traditional treatment methods can improve population health outcomes.
At the second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, held in New Delhi, the governments of 27 countries have already committed to developing this area. Tanzania allocates about 3.8 million dollars for research in this field, India will lead an international research consortium, Iran is launching a national clinical trials platform, and Cape Verde, Malawi, Micronesia, and Seychelles are establishing national research centers.
The WHO roadmap outlines key directions for investment, as well as the work of specialists in the field of traditional medicine, who currently make up only 0.43 percent of the total number of researchers worldwide. The focus is on stroke, pain, oncology, as well as musculoskeletal, metabolic, reproductive, and mental disorders. The WHO also notes that folk medicine can help address the problem of antibiotic resistance.
© UN News Service/A. Sharma Herbal medicines are used in many traditional medicine systems.
Traditional medicine has always been outside of evidence-based systems, the organization notes. “Until now, there has been a lack of evidence specifically for decision-making, and this document points to where it should come from,” said Gita Krishnan Gopalakrishna Pillai, representative of WHO’s Global Centre for Traditional Medicine.
Research using artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and clinical practice data will enable countries to safely integrate traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine into national healthcare systems. This will help establish clear regulations, optimize health insurance, and protect patients from ineffective or dangerous practices.
The document pays special attention to partnerships with Indigenous peoples and holders of traditional knowledge. The roadmap calls for protecting their intellectual property, fairly distributing benefits, and preserving cultural traditions.
The WHO global strategy was the result of an extensive analysis: experts studied the work of 116 research institutes in 67 countries and consulted with hundreds of specialists from around the world.
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