SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being | SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
Institutions: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
The World Health Organization (WHO) has established the Global Clinical Trials Forum (GCTF), a worldwide, multi-stakeholder network created to strengthen the infrastructure and environment for clinical trials at all levels—national, regional, and global. This initiative is a direct response to a World Health Assembly resolution (WHA75.8), which mandated WHO to boost the quality and coordination of clinical trials, ensuring they produce the high-quality, reliable evidence necessary for informed health decision-making and effective public health policy.
The GCTF will serve as a collaborative platform, connecting a diverse range of global stakeholders, including national governments, regulatory authorities, research funders, and patient organizations. Its members will work together to disseminate and promote the adoption of WHO’s Guidance for Best Practices for Clinical Trials. Through dedicated thematic working groups, the forum will focus on concrete actions to improve clinical trial readiness within health systems and guarantee that future evidence generation is equitable, ethical, and sustainable, addressing persistent barriers in the current ecosystem.
The inclusion of key Indian institutions like the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) as launch members directly links India to global standard-setting for clinical research. This crucial alignment ensures that Indian-led trial data meets the highest international quality standards, enhancing its global acceptance and strengthening the nation’s position as a major research hub.
What is World Health Assembly resolution (WHA75.8)? → WHA75.8, adopted in May 2022, is the WHO resolution titled “Strengthening clinical trials to provide high-quality evidence on health interventions and to improve research quality and coordination.” It provides the core mandate for the GCTF, urging Member States to improve trial standards, enhance national research capacity, and ensure trials are designed to be equitable and include under-represented populations.
Relevant Question for Policy Stakeholders: What regulatory and institutional changes must India fast-track to fully implement WHO’s new best practices guidance and rapidly integrate GCTF standards into the national research framework?
Follow the full news here: https://www.who.int/news/item/07-10-2025-who-launches-the-global-clinical-trials-forum