SRINAGAR: As India prepares to host the Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi from 17 to 19 December 2025, the Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine (RRIUM) Srinagar has underscored the significance of the upcoming event, calling it a milestone for the country’s traditional healthcare sector.
Speaking in Srinagar, Dr Irfat Ara, Deputy Director of RRIUM, said India was proud to welcome a global gathering expected to draw delegates from more than 100 countries, including ministers, policymakers, scientists, researchers, and industry leaders. She emphasised that the summit’s theme — “Restoring balance: The science and practice of health and well-being” — reflects a growing global recognition of holistic and traditional medical systems.
Dr Ara reiterated the views of Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH, Prataprao Jadhav, and said India’s traditional knowledge systems are steadily gaining international acceptance. She noted that the AYUSH disciplines — Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homeopathy — have supported community health for centuries and continue to play an important role in integrated healthcare.
Highlighting India’s expanding global footprint in the field, she pointed to the establishment of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar, Gujarat, set up in partnership with the Government of India. The centre, she said, reflects rising global trust in evidence-based traditional medicine and works to strengthen its integration with modern healthcare practices.
Dr Ara also outlined the growing reach of traditional medicine in Jammu and Kashmir, noting that RRIUM Srinagar plays a crucial role in research, clinical services, and community awareness. The institute, she said, is the only centre in the region offering postgraduate education in Unani medicine (Moalajat) and Unani pharmacology (Ilmul-adviya), while also providing OPD, IPD, and laboratory services.
She added that the WHO Summit would offer an important platform for sharing scientific research, innovations, and best practices, reinforcing the need to create a balanced and complementary approach between modern and traditional systems of healthcare.
The three-day summit in December is expected to contribute significantly to global conversations on integrating traditional medicine into contemporary health frameworks, with India positioned at the centre of these efforts.
India is set to co-host the Second WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi from 17 to 19 December 2025, in partnership with the World Health Organisation. The three-day gathering will bring together global leaders, policymakers, researchers and experts to discuss innovation, evidence-based practices and long-term strategies for strengthening traditional medicine across health systems worldwide.
Ahead of the summit, the Ministry of Ayush held a Curtain Raiser on 8 December 2025, chaired by Union Minister Prataprao Jadhav. In his remarks, the minister said India’s leadership in traditional medicine continued to grow, supported by national research bodies that are expanding scientific validation and international cooperation in the sector.
Within the national capital region, the Central Ayurveda Research Institute (CARI), Delhi — under the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) — remains a major hub for research and clinical advancement. Dr Hemanta Panigrahi, Director (In-charge), said CARI’s integrated research spanning clinical, fundamental and policy domains has strengthened its ability to tackle lifestyle and non-communicable diseases. He added that the institute’s speciality clinics, ongoing research projects and training programmes are closely aligned with national efforts to expand evidence-based traditional healthcare.
The WHO Summit will include ministerial-level engagements, scientific panel discussions, exhibitions and global knowledge-sharing platforms, with the goal of deepening collaboration and promoting the integration of traditional medicine into contemporary public health frameworks.
