WHO First Summit On Biodiversity, Traditional Knowledge, Health and Well-Being

From July 25th to 28, 2023, World Health Organization (WHO) hosted its first global summit on biodiversity, traditional knowledge, health and well-being in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Indigenous communities often have unique access to medicinal plants and interactions with their natural surrounding. As a result, their environment more directly affects their food security, livelihoods, health and well-being.

The workshop aimed to provide an opportunity for stakeholders (including Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendants, ministries of health, civil society and other stakeholders) to have open dialogues, share knowledge, and network with one another. Some topics discussed include the link between biodiversity, public health policies, and the environment, the role of medicinal plants in indigenous health, as well as health systems’ recognition of traditional medicine. A draft “Recommendations to the first WHO Traditional Medicine Summit” will be reported as a part of G20 in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

by Leanne Auyeung