Jaishankar Meets WHO Chief Tedros, Discusses India’s Role in Global Health Initiatives

The External Affairs Minister shared India’s perspectives on the global human rights situation and discussed how various challenges can be effectively addressed.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met with World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Thursday to discuss India’s ongoing cooperation with the global health body.

The talks focused on areas such as traditional medicine and public health initiatives.

Jaishankar, who arrived in Geneva from Germany as the final stop of his three-nation tour that also included Saudi Arabia, shared details of the meeting on X (formerly Twitter).

"Delighted to see @DrTedros, DG of World Health Organisation this afternoon. Discussed our cooperation in WHO including on traditional medicine and public health,” Jaishankar posted, along with photographs of the meeting.

In addition to his meeting with the WHO chief, Jaishankar also met with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk.

The External Affairs Minister shared India’s perspectives on the global human rights situation and discussed how various challenges can be effectively addressed.

Jaishankar further posted about his visit to the Geneva Centre for Security Policy, where he shared his views on global geopolitical shifts.

He also thanked Ambassador Jean-David Levitte and Ambassador Thomas Greminger for hosting him at the think-tank.

Last month, India committed $85 million over a decade (2022–2032) to support the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Traditional Medicine Centre.

This funding sought to strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicine, providing data and evidence on traditional medicine policies, practices, products, and public use, the WHO announced earlier this week.

The WHO-India donor agreement is part of a broader $250 million investment from India to establish the WHO Global Centre of Traditional Medicine in 2022.

This investment includes financial support for the Center’s work plan, interim premises, and the construction of a new building.

The WHO Global Traditional Medicine Center will serve as a knowledge hub, focusing on five interconnected areas: research and evidence, primary health care and universal health coverage, indigenous knowledge and biodiversity, digital health applications, and the biennial WHO Global Traditional Medicine Summit and collaborations.

India’s support for traditional medicine is underscored by various long-standing partnerships with WHO. In 2023, India signed a five-year agreement to support WHO’s Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (TCI) unit.

This unit develops key benchmark documents, standardized terminologies, and other evidence-informed technical products to enhance the acceptability and credibility of traditional medicine systems.