BRICS Backs Expert Group on Traditional Medicine, Calls for Evidence-Based Global Cooperation

1. At a Glance

• BRICS endorsed a new Expert Working Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) during India's BRICS Chairship 2026, marking the first dedicated TCIM section in a BRICS Health Ministerial Declaration [2].
• India, via the Ministry of Ayush and Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), positioned itself as the lead advocate for institutionalising traditional medicine cooperation among BRICS states [1][3].
• UPSC relevance: intersects India's soft power/health diplomacy, Ayush sector growth, and global health governance (WHO's own Global Traditional Medicine Centre is in India) — a recurring GS-II/GS-III theme.

2. Why in the News

• 21 July 2026: BRICS Meeting on TCIM held in Chandigarh as part of the Health Track under India's BRICS Chairship 2026 [3].
• 23–24 July 2026: 16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting concluded in Chandigarh, with the Health Ministerial Declaration for the first time carrying a dedicated TCIM section and endorsing the new Expert Working Group [2].

3. Background & Evolution

• BRICS traditional medicine cooperation has antecedents in earlier BRICS Experts Meetings in Traditional Medicine [1].
• 2026: Under India's BRICS Chairship, MoHFW hosted the First BRICS Health Working Group Meeting in New Delhi, followed by Senior Officials' Meetings and the Chandigarh Health Track events (21–24 July 2026) [1].
• 21 July 2026: TCIM-specific meeting held; Terms of Reference (ToR) for the Expert Working Group endorsed by member states [1][3].
• 23–24 July 2026: 16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting formally adopted the Declaration embedding TCIM cooperation and the Expert Working Group [2].

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Detail
Body established	BRICS Expert Working Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) [1]
Host event	16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting, Chandigarh, 23–24 July 2026 [2]
Chairship	India's BRICS Chairship 2026 [2]
Nodal Indian ministries	Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; Ministry of Ayush [3]
BRICS membership (as engaged)	Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Russia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates [1]
Working group mandate areas	Policy dialogue, research/evidence generation, capacity building & academic exchange, digital knowledge platforms, quality/regulatory standards, protection of traditional/indigenous knowledge [1]
Governing instrument	Terms of Reference (ToR) endorsed by member countries [1]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Geopolitical / Strategic

• Reinforces India's leadership in BRICS health diplomacy during its 2026 Chairship, extending soft power built on Ayush [2][3].
• Aligns BRICS (Global South-heavy grouping) as a counterweight/complement to WHO-led traditional medicine initiatives, given WHO's Global Traditional Medicine Centre is hosted in India [2].

Scientific / Technological

• Explicit focus on evidence-based cooperation: multi-country clinical studies, shared research methodologies, and clinical validation mechanisms for TCIM [2].
• Digital knowledge platforms proposed for cross-border data/knowledge sharing [1].

Administrative

• Joint ownership between MoHFW and Ministry of Ayush signals inter-ministerial coordination challenges/opportunities in implementation [3].
• Working Group functions via consensus-based ToR rather than a binding treaty, limiting enforceability [1].

Legal / Governance

• Emphasis on "protection of traditional and indigenous knowledge" touches IP/regulatory harmonisation across nine disparate legal systems [1].

Social

• Expands access to traditional medicine systems (Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, African traditional medicine, etc.) across BRICS populations via capacity building and academic/faculty exchange [3].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 2026 (date within year, per PIB): MoHFW hosted First BRICS Health Working Group Meeting 2026, New Delhi [1].
• Senior Officials' Meeting held in Chandigarh ahead of ministerial talks [1].
• 21 July 2026: BRICS TCIM meeting, Chandigarh — ToR for Expert Working Group endorsed [1][3].
• 23–24 July 2026: 16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting concludes; Declaration includes dedicated TCIM section [2].
• 27 July 2026: WHO publicly recognised the BRICS declaration and new expert working group as a "landmark" development [2].

7. Prelims Hooks

• BRICS Expert Working Group on TCIM was endorsed at the 16th BRICS Health Ministers' Meeting, held in Chandigarh [2].
• Meeting held under India's BRICS Chairship 2026 [2].
• Nodal Indian ministries: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Ministry of Ayush (jointly) [3].
• BRICS TCIM-specific meeting date: 21 July 2026 [3].
• Health Ministers' Meeting dates: 23–24 July 2026 [2].
• This is the first time a BRICS Health Ministerial Declaration carried a dedicated section on TCIM [2].
• BRICS member states referenced in the working group: Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Russia, South Africa, UAE [1].
• Working group operates on consensus-based Terms of Reference (ToR), not a treaty [1].
• WHO's own Global Traditional Medicine Centre is located in India (Jamnagar, Gujarat) — often confused/linked with this BRICS initiative but is a separate WHO body [2].
• The working group's mandate spans six areas: policy dialogue, research/evidence generation, capacity building, digital platforms, regulatory standards, and indigenous knowledge protection [1].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: International Relations — "Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India's interests"; India's role in groupings like BRICS.
• GS-III: Health — Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health.
• Possible question stems: 1. Discuss the significance of institutionalising Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine (TCIM) cooperation within BRICS. How can India leverage its Ayush ecosystem in this framework? 2. Evidence-based validation remains the biggest challenge for global acceptance of traditional medicine systems. Examine this in the context of BRICS's new Expert Working Group on TCIM. 3. BRICS health diplomacy is increasingly becoming a vehicle for India's soft power projection. Critically evaluate with recent examples.

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (Jamnagar) — parallel global institutional effort on traditional medicine, often conflated with BRICS initiative.
• Ministry of Ayush and National Ayush Mission — domestic institutional backbone enabling India's BRICS TCIM leadership.
• BRICS institutional architecture (NDB, CRA, Chairship rotation) — broader context of how health cooperation fits into BRICS's evolving mandate.
• India's Ayush sector export/economic diplomacy — economic dimension of traditional medicine promotion.
• WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine (Thailand, 2027) — comparative multilateral platform.
• IPR and traditional knowledge protection (e.g., Traditional Knowledge Digital Library) — legal dimension flagged in TCIM mandate.
• G20 health track initiatives — comparative platform where India also pushed traditional medicine agendas.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Do not confuse the BRICS Expert Working Group on TCIM with the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre — different institutions, different founding bodies (BRICS vs. WHO), though both are India-linked [2].
• Do not attribute sole ownership to Ministry of Ayush — the initiative is jointly run with MoHFW since it falls under the BRICS Health Track, not a standalone Ayush track [3].
• Avoid assuming the Expert Working Group is a binding legal body — it operates via non-binding, consensus-based Terms of Reference [1].
• Do not misdate the event — the TCIM meeting was 21 July 2026, while the Health Ministers' Meeting (broader) concluded 23–24 July 2026; these are distinct events within the same Chandigarh Health Track [2][3].
• Membership list should include UAE, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran (2024 BRICS expansion members), not just the original five (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) [1].