The World Health Organization (WHO) organized the Interregional Training Workshop on Ensuring the Quality and Safety of Traditional, Complementary and Integrative (TCI) Medicine Products from 22–24 October 2025 in Macao SAR, China. The event formed part of WHO’s broader efforts to strengthen regulatory systems and promote the safe integration of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) into national health systems. More than 40 participants from 18 countries and two Special Administrative Regions attended, including government regulators, technical experts, researchers, and representatives from WHO Collaborating Centres. The workshop provided a platform for sharing experiences and exploring practical approaches to ensuring quality assurance, safety monitoring, and evidence generation for TCIM products.
The training contributed directly to the implementation of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034, endorsed earlier in the year by the Seventy-eighth World Health Assembly. This strategy offers a comprehensive framework for countries to enhance research, regulation, and integration of traditional medicine into healthcare in alignment with the goals of universal health coverage. Workshop sessions focused on three main areas: research and evidence, policy and regulation, and patient safety. Participants shared national experiences, including innovative approaches such as the use of DNA barcoding and artificial intelligence for herbal ingredient identification and the development of national pharmacopoeias. Dr. Kim Sungchol, in his opening remarks, highlighted WHO’s commitment to translating global strategies into tangible country-level action and fostering collaboration for safer and more effective traditional medicine systems.
The workshop also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine in Macao, established in 2015. Over the past decade, the Centre has played a key role in training more than 3,100 professionals globally and advancing WHO’s capacity-building efforts in traditional medicine. Dr. Lo Iek Long, Director of the Macao Health Bureau, reaffirmed Macao’s dedication to supporting WHO’s work in strengthening regional collaboration, promoting quality assurance, and achieving regulatory harmonization in the field.
The outcomes of the workshop will feed into global discussions at the upcoming 2nd WHO Traditional Medicine Global Summit, where a dedicated session on the regulation of TCIM products will focus on accelerating the implementation of the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034. Through continued collaboration, capacity building, and technical support, WHO aims to help Member States ensure that TCIM products are safe, effective, and of verified quality—contributing to the broader vision of achieving health for all.
