Traditional medicine and biodiversity highlighted at COP16
Traditional medicine was a key theme during the first-ever Biodiversity and Health Day during the 16th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16), in Cali, Colombia. Taking forward the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework established at COP 15, global participants this year focused on integrating One Health strategies to mitigate biodiversity loss, manage zoonotic disease risks, and strengthen financial and ecological commitments to human, animal and environmental health and well-being.
WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC) colleagues participated in various sessions, including a high-level breakfast, co-hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and WHO. The event explored “whole of government” approaches that integrate biodiversity conservation with human well-being. Dr Shyama Kuruvilla, Director, a.i. of GTMC, said “GTMC’s dedicated unit on Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity emerged from recommendations of the first WHO Tradition Medicine Global Summit in 2023. This reflects WHO’s commitment to honouring and incorporating Indigenous Knowledges within global health, One Health and biodiversity frameworks.”
From left to right: Ms Adriana Rivera Brusatin, Director, Min of Env and Sus Dev., Dr Daniel Bus, Unit Chief, Climate Change and Env Determinants of Health, PAHO, Mr Manjeet Singh Saluja, Public Health Specialist ( Biodiversity) WHO-GTMC, Dr Shyama Kuruvilla, Director a.i. WHO-GTMC, Dr Guillermo Alfonso Jaramillo Martínez, Minister of Health and Social Protection, Government of Colombia, Mr Jaime Urrego, Health Vice Minister of Colombia, Ms Cristina Romanelli, Technical Officer, WHO, Mr Jeremy Veillard, Lead Health Specialist, World Bank, Mr. Rodrigo Eduardo Paillalef Monnard, UNPFII, Mr Julian Blanc, UNEP Photo: Manjeet S Saluja
Other health and biodiversity initiatives undertaken during health day of COP16 included discussion on a new report from WHO and the International Union for Conservation of Nature on nature-based solutions for human health. The report outlines 10 recommendations for linking biodiversity and health strategies across sectors and regions. These recommendations, aligned with a primary health care approach, draw from country case studies of successful collaboration. The report concludes with the need for increased multi-sectoral funding to scale up impact, including with partners such as the Kunming Biodiversity Fund, Nature4Health and the World Bank, in parallel to district-level investment to support impactful, localized health-environment collaborations.
10 key recommendations from WHO IUCN report
During the COP meeting, GTMC also participated in a session on Indigenous Health and Traditional Knowledge. This session launched recommendations from the inaugural WHO Global Workshop on Biodiversity, Traditional Knowledge, Health and Well-being. Participants, including rights holders, Indigenous leaders and traditional health practitioners, shared knowledge to bridge biodiversity, health and traditional knowledge, as well as outcomes from the first WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit, such as the Gujarat Declaration.
In sum, COP16 reinforced the following:
- Indigenous communities now have a permanent voice in UN biodiversity talks, enabling direct participation in shaping policies.
- a Digital Sequence Information (DSI) fund, supporting the implementation of the new World Intellectual Property Organization’s framework on traditional medicine, from corporate contributions to support conservation and Indigenous communities; and
- COP16 has set the stage for further funding efforts, with leaders urging increased action to address biodiversity with the urgency it deserves.
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