JAMNAGAR, October 8 — The Ministry of Ayush and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday concluded an enhanced host-country agreement expanding the operational footprint and scientific research mandate of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine (GCTM) situated in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
The Jamnagar facility serves as the world's premier and only global hub dedicated to establishing international evidence-based standards, clinical evaluation protocols, and regulatory benchmarks for traditional and complementary medicine systems, including Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Sowa-Rigpa. Supported by a committed Indian fiscal contribution of ₹2,500 crore, the expansion integrates high-throughput artificial intelligence pipelines and genomics to interface traditional remedies with global pharmaceutical standards.
In a joint statement, the WHO highlighted that an estimated 80 percent of the global population relies on traditional therapies for primary healthcare. The GCTM will oversee the integration of indigenous pharmacological knowledge with the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL) and WHO’s International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), insulating ancient formulations against biopiracy while expanding evidence-backed exports under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).
The institutional mandate of the Ministry of Ayush, the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL co-administered by CSIR and Ayush), international intellectual property regimes under the WTO TRIPS agreement (biopiracy safeguards), and Universal Health Coverage (SDG 3) are critical concepts in UPSC Civil Services (GS-II: Public Health & Multilateral Organizations; GS-III: IPR and Biotechnology). Candidates should note that Jamnagar was chosen for the permanent GCTM campus following the inaugural Global Ayush Investment and Innovation Summit.