At the 2024 World Conference on Traditional Medicine held in Beijing on 3–4 December, participants from 85 countries adopted the Beijing Declaration. This declaration emphasizes the important role of traditional medicine as a carrier of cultural heritage across the globe and highlights its significant contribution to health throughout the life course. It also calls for strengthened research, evidence, and international collaboration to effectively integrate traditional medicine into global healthcare systems.
Attended by over 3000 participants, the conference was co-sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO), and hosted by the National Health Commission of China, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Beijing Municipal Government.
In his video address at the conference, WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reflected on the successful integration of traditional medicine within China's modern healthcare. He thanked participants for their commitment to strengthening evidence-based approaches and bringing ancient traditions and modern innovations together for health for all.
China's President Xi Jinping, in a letter read by Yin Li, Secretary of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China during the opening of the conference, highlighted that China attaches equal importance to the development of both modern and traditional Chinese medicine, promoting their complementary strengths, fostering the modernization and industrialization of traditional medicine, and developing a unique pathway for its growth and integration into healthcare systems. He affirmed that China is willing to work with the international community to promote the integration of evidence-based traditional medicine into the global health system.
Speaking during a media interview, WHO Assistant Director-General Dr Bruce Aylward underscored China's efforts in modernizing traditional medicine and integrating modern technology into its evaluation and use. He remarked that China has been "in a leading position in modernizing traditional" and highlighted its achievements in "the inheritance and innovation of traditional medicine."
The vision of the conference aligns with WHO's forthcoming Global strategy for traditional medicine 2025–2034, set to be presented at the World Health Assembly in May 2025. It brought together global experts and policy leaders to discuss advancing traditional medicine to achieve Universal Health Coverage and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
With the theme "Diversity, Inheritance, and Innovation: Traditional Medicine for All," the conference explored evidence-based practices, artificial intelligence applications in research, and the standardization of traditional medicine. These discussions set the stage for actionable steps to advance traditional medicine as a key contributor to achieving Universal Health Coverage and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
