SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Ayush
At the 16th Annual Meeting of the World Health Organization – International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (WHO–IRCH) in Jakarta (14–16 October 2025), India reaffirmed its leadership in promoting global harmonisation of herbal-medicine regulation and quality-assurance frameworks.
The Indian delegation met Ambassador Sandeep Chakravorty in Jakarta to review progress under the India–Indonesia MoU on Traditional Medicine Quality Assurance, signed in January 2025 between the Indonesian FDA and PCIM&H. The MoU enables capacity building, technical exchange, and mutual recognition of standards for herbal-product safety and efficacy.
During the opening session, India’s initiatives to strengthen the regulatory ecosystem for traditional medicines were presented, including pharmacopoeial standardisation, digital traceability systems, and research-based validation. The meeting also released the Proceedings of the WHO–IRCH Workshops on Herbal Medicine Safety and Efficacy, hosted earlier by the Ministry of Ayush and WHO in Ghaziabad (Aug 2025).
India’s active participation reinforces its ambition to be a global hub for evidence-based traditional medicine. By contributing to regulatory harmonisation and pharmacopoeial alignment, the Ministry of Ayush advances the goals of the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy (2025–2034) while enhancing India’s export competitiveness in herbal and AYUSH-based products. Ensuring quality-assurance infrastructure, scientific validation, and mutual recognition agreements will be central to sustaining credibility in global markets.
What is WHO–IRCH? → The WHO–International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH) is a global network of national authorities that collaborate on standards, regulation, and information exchange for herbal-medicine safety, quality, and efficacy. It supports countries in developing consistent regulatory systems and fosters international policy convergence under WHO guidance.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders:
How can India institutionalise global regulatory partnerships to accelerate scientific validation, trade integration, and consumer confidence in AYUSH and herbal products?
Follow the full news here: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2178891