Traditional Complementary and Integrative Healthcare Coalition

22/05/2026

“We are the generation that will live with the long-term consequences of today’s decisions, so we should also help shape them.” 🌍

A powerful message shared tonight in Geneva by Asli Yildirim, representing the EUROCAM youth delegate group and the IVAA, at the side event Youth Leadership to Advance Traditional Medicine for Equity and Access.

Asli spoke about the need for healthcare systems that listen more deeply to people’s lives: systems that are more human, preventive, inclusive, and connected to community, culture, and lived experience. She also reminded that youth participation should not be symbolic. Young researchers – as she is - and health professionals have a real role to play in shaping the future of health. 🌱

And perhaps the most beautiful part: Asli spent her birthday bringing care, humanity, and the voice of young people into this important conversation. ✨

21/05/2026

🌍 Tonight in Geneva, youth perspectives will be part of the conversation on , equity and access.

Asli Yildirim is already in Geneva with Janka Szoke, Project Coordinator at the , ahead of this evening’s side event co-organized by the Coalition:
📌 Youth Leadership to Advance Traditional Medicine for Equity and Access
📍 SDG Solution Space, Geneva
🕕 18:00–19:30 CEST

Asli will contribute to the discussion with a youth perspective on behalf of the EUROCAM youth delegate group and the International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations ( ), both founding organisations of the TCIH Coalition.

💻 Online participation is still possible:
🔗 https://luma.com/cs0i4dog

20/05/2026

🌍 We are delighted to share that the TCIH Coalition is co-organising an important side event during the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva :

📌Youth Leadership to Advance Traditional Medicine for Equity and Access
📅 Thursday, 21 May 2026
🕕 18:00-19:30 (CEST)
📍 SDG Solution Space, Geneva

👉 Can’t join us in Geneva? 💻 Online participation is also possible.
👉 Register now and be part of the conversation:
🔗 https://luma.com/cs0i4dog

ℹ️This event will bring together youth leaders, policymakers, researchers, and practitioners to discuss how Traditional Medicine can support more equitable, culturally grounded, and sustainable healthcare systems. The programme will include a keynote by Dr Shyama Kuruvilla, Director (a.i.) of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre, a panel discussion, youth video messages, and an audience Q&A.

➡️We are also pleased to share that Asli Yildirim will contribute as the TCIH youth voice to the discussion, on behalf of the EUROCAM youth delegate group and the International Federation of Anthroposophic Medical Associations (IVAA), both founding organisations of the TCIH Coalition.

🤝 Whether you are in Geneva or joining online, we warmly invite you to register and be part of the conversation.

18/05/2026

🆕Indigenous Traditional Medicines and healing practices continue to support health and wellbeing, carry knowledge across generations, and sustain deep connections to land, culture, and identity.

🔛Today, the TCIH Coalition releases its Position Paper on Indigenous Traditional Medicine and Healing Practices. The timing is significant: as started today in Geneva, and the health of Indigenous Peoples is one of the items on the World Health Assembly agenda.

ℹ️The paper calls on WHO Member States, UN agencies, global health partners, and donor institutions to take concrete action: ☑️recognise Indigenous Traditional Medicine in law and policy, ☑️finance Indigenous-led institutions,
☑️protect knowledge from biopiracy and exploitation, and
☑️ensure that Indigenous communities lead any engagement with health systems.
➡️Read the full Position Paper here:
🔗 https://tinyurl.com/5n6zss8b

29/04/2026

"Africa must now position Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine ( ) at the core of primary health care, advancing health sovereignty and universal health coverage!"

Well said, Prof. Ossy Kasilo, TCIH Coalition Board member! Thank you also for highlighting that the challenge for Africa is not a political commitment but rather a structural one, with a structural fragility of health systems as the main barrier.

13/03/2026

🆕TCIH Coalition and The Ministry of Health | Kenya issued a joint statement outlining the key outcomes of the East African Forum on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine ( ).
👉 Read the joint statement: 🔗 https://shorturl.at/Yeu96

➡️Among the Forum's five outcomes is the establishment of the East African Network on TCIM (EAN-TCIM), a regional platform connecting policymakers, regulators, researchers, and practitioners from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. The network will support joint work on policy, regulation, and research, advancing the integration of into national health systems in line with the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025-2034, while addressing each country's specific realities.

📈Across Sub-Saharan Africa, TCIM use averages 58% and reaches up to 94% in some countries, highlighting the need for stronger regional cooperation to ensure that policies, regulations, and research keep pace with the widespread use of .
ℹ️The East African Forum on TCIM took place in Nairobi on 24–25 February 2026 and was co-organised by the TCIH Coalition and Kenya's Ministry of Health.

A joint statement issued by the TCIH Coalition and Kenya’s Ministry of Health highlights the key outcomes of the first East African Forum on TCIM (24-25 February 2026, Nairobi | Kenya)...

05/03/2026

The East African Forum on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine ( ) brought East Africa together around a shared purpose: strengthening the support, regulation, and integration of TCIM across the region. The Ministry of Health

Over two days in Nairobi, ministers, regulators, researchers, and practitioners from across Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda engaged in open and substantive discussions on regulatory frameworks and product standards, research, innovation, and regional convergence.

There was honesty about challenges, clarity about priorities, and a shared understanding that already plays a vital role in healthcare delivery across the region. The focus now is to ensure that policy, safety, quality, and evidence evolve in step with that reality.

As the global voice of civil society organisations working in , it was a privilege for the TCIHCoalition to be part of this Forum. We believe that integrating TCIM into health systems should be shaped not only by policy decisions, but also by the people and communities who use it in their daily lives.

The establishment of the East African Network on TCIM (EAN-TCIM) ensures that the connections built in Nairobi will continue to grow.

We are grateful to all participants, to all the specialists who contributed with their expertise and openness, and to our partners at the Ministry of Health of Kenya for their strong collaboration.

With EAN-TCIM now established, East African countries can continue working together to ensure the effective TCIM integration across the region.

02/03/2026

🆕Kenya announces that it could launch the first batch of traditional complementary and integrative medicines by 2030!

This is just one of the concrete actions Kenya is taking, following the East Africa Forum on integration, organized in Nairobi last week by the Coalition and The Ministry of Health.
The EA Forum discussed the appropriate integration of into the national health systems of several East African countries, in line with the WHO TM Strategy 2025-2034.

26/02/2026

📍East African Forum on - Nairobi| l🇰🇪 - Day 2

➡️East African countries are coming together to shape the future of TCIM & the newly created East African Community Network on Traditional, Complementary, and Integrative Medicine (EAC-TCIM Network) is the structure that will make it possible.

ℹ️As explained by Prof. Ossy MJ Kasilo, Board Member of the TCIH Coalition and former Regional Adviser for Traditional Medicine at WHO AFRO, the Network will serve as a sub-regional professional and technical platform to:
✔️Harmonize policies and technical guidelines
✔️Promote peer learning and technical exchange
✔️Engage traditional health practitioners directly within health systems
✔️Serve as a platform for coordinated response during public health emergencies, making TCIM part of the solution.

👏East Africa is not just discussing TCIM, it is organising its future.

26/02/2026

📍East African Forum on - Nairobi| 🇰🇪 - Day 2

At the closing of the East African Forum on TCIM, Pauline Duya, head of the Traditional and Alternative division at The Ministry of Health, presented the key recommendations emerging from two days of dialogue on strengthening the integration of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine into national health systems across East Africa.

Participants agreed on clear priorities:
1⃣ Strengthen national policy and regulatory frameworks to ensure safety, quality, and effectiveness
2⃣ Align with the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034 and accelerate implementation
3⃣ Invest in research and evidence generation
4⃣ Protect indigenous knowledge while advancing regional regulatory convergence
5⃣ Operationalise the East African Network on TCIM to support coordination and harmonised regional action

World Health Organization African Region