Traditional Medicine Gets BRICS Backing, Leaders Call for Stronger Evidence-Based Global Cooperation

The New Delhi Declaration adopted at the 18th BRICS Summit has given a significant push to international cooperation in Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM), recognising its growing relevance to strengthening health systems and contributing towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

A key outcome of the Declaration is the welcome accorded to the proposed establishment of a BRICS Expert Working Group on TCIM under the BRICS Health Track. The proposed Working Group is envisaged as a platform for dialogue, collaboration and exchange among BRICS Member States, providing a structured mechanism for advancing cooperation in traditional medicine.

Union Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Ayush and Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav, highlighted, “The recognition of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine in the New Delhi Declaration is an important step towards strengthening global cooperation in traditional medicine. The proposed BRICS Expert Working Group will provide a meaningful platform for Member States to share knowledge, strengthen research and advance evidence-based approaches. India remains committed to taking forward Ayurveda and other traditional systems of medicine through scientific research, quality assurance and international collaboration, so that their potential can contribute to safe, effective and affordable healthcare.”

Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, informed, “The New Delhi Declaration marks an important step in advancing structured cooperation on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine among BRICS countries. The proposed Expert Working Group can provide a focused platform for sharing evidence, strengthening research collaboration and improving quality and regulatory approaches. India, through its Ayush ecosystem, is committed to contributing to this cooperation by promoting rigorous research and evidence-informed practices that can support safe, effective and affordable healthcare.”

The Declaration specifically calls for greater cooperation in research on medicinal plants and herbal preparations used for therapeutic and preventive purposes. It recognises that the shared traditional pharmacopoeias of BRICS Member Countries can serve as a foundation for developing safe, effective and affordable therapeutic products.

The emphasis on coordinated research assumes particular significance for countries across the BRICS grouping, where traditional systems of medicine have evolved over generations and medicinal plants and herbal preparations form an important component of healthcare traditions. Greater cooperation can facilitate research, documentation, knowledge exchange and evidence generation while supporting the responsible development of therapeutic products.

The Declaration further reaffirms the importance of ensuring the quality, safety and efficacy of TCIM practices and products through evidence-informed approaches and appropriate regulatory frameworks in accordance with the national contexts of Member States.

This focus on evidence, quality, safety and efficacy provides an important foundation for strengthening confidence in traditional medicine. It also creates scope for BRICS countries to exchange experience and expertise in areas such as research methodologies, pharmacopoeial standards, quality assurance, regulatory practices and scientific validation of traditional medicine practices and products.

India’s BRICS Chairship advances structured cooperation in traditional medicine

The development follows the BRICS Meeting on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine held in Chandigarh on July 21, 2026, under India’s BRICS Chairship. The meeting brought together senior government officials, technical experts and delegates from BRICS Member States and advanced cooperation in research, education, knowledge exchange and regulatory frameworks related to TCIM. The meeting also resulted in consensus on the Terms of Reference for the proposed BRICS Expert Working Group on TCIM.

The proposed Expert Working Group provides an opportunity to further institutionalise this cooperation and facilitate sustained engagement among research institutions, experts, policymakers and academic institutions across BRICS countries.

For India, the development is particularly significant as it reinforces the country’s efforts to advance Ayurveda and other Ayush systems through research, evidence generation, quality assurance and international cooperation. India has consistently emphasised the importance of scientific evidence, safety, efficacy and appropriate standards while promoting the responsible integration of traditional medicine into healthcare.

The focus on medicinal plants and herbal preparations also opens avenues for deeper scientific and technical collaboration among BRICS countries. Coordinated research can contribute to better documentation and scientific understanding of medicinal resources, strengthen pharmacopoeial knowledge and support the development of quality-assured therapeutic products.

The development comes against the backdrop of growing international attention to the appropriate role of traditional medicine in health systems. The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 places emphasis on strengthening the evidence base, ensuring safety and quality, and supporting appropriate integration of traditional medicine into health systems. The WHO has also described the BRICS initiative as a significant development in advancing international cooperation on traditional medicine.

The New Delhi Declaration’s focus on TCIM is therefore significant not merely as a recognition of traditional medicine, but as a call for deeper, evidence-informed international cooperation.

The proposed Expert Working Group can bring together the diverse experience of BRICS countries in traditional, complementary and integrative medicine and create avenues for cooperation in research, evidence generation, capacity building, knowledge exchange and regulatory approaches.

The New Delhi Declaration thus marks an important step towards a more structured approach to traditional medicine cooperation among BRICS countries—bringing together traditional knowledge, scientific research, medicinal plant resources, pharmacopoeial expertise and regulatory experience.

For India, the outcome further strengthens the international platform for Ayurveda and the wider Ayush ecosystem to contribute to global conversations on evidence-based traditional medicine, preventive healthcare and resilient health systems.

By placing TCIM within the BRICS Health Track and linking cooperation with Universal Health Coverage, research, evidence, quality, safety and efficacy, the New Delhi Declaration provides a strong foundation for sustained collaboration among Member States towards safe, effective and affordable healthcare solutions.