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The Ministry of Ayush under India’s presidency of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) successfully organized the B2B Conference and Expo and the National Arogya Summit in Guwahati recently.
This event aimed to promote Traditional Medicine and contribute to the economic development, environment protection, and achieve the goal of Health Security among the 25 SCO nations. The event was attended by H.E. Dr Thet Khaing Win, the minister for Health, Myanmar, H.E. Safiyya Mohamed Saeed, the deputy minister for Health, Maldives, and Dr Munjpara Mahendrabhai, MoS for Ayush. The event was also attended by China, Russia, and Pakistan in virtual mode.
The Union Minister of Ayush and Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, inaugurated the event. India attained the SCO full member status in 2017 and took the initiative for a new SCO Expert Working Group on Traditional Medicine after assuming the presidency of SCO Council of Heads of State for the year 2023 on September 17, 2022.
During India’s SCO Presidency, the Ministry of Ayush organized a virtual conference of experts and practitioners of Traditional Medicine, conducted the First Expert Working Group (EWG) on Traditional Medicine, and approved the Draft Regulations of the EWG on Traditional Medicine at an expert level. The Guwahati SCO B2B Conference and Expo aimed to take the momentum further.
Moreover, the Ministry of Ayush had a bilateral meeting with Myanmar on the sidelines of the SCO B2B conference to discuss cooperation on Ayurveda and Traditional Medicine. An MoU was signed between the Ministry of Ayush, India, and the Ministry of Health, Myanmar, which is automatically extended and valid up till 28th August 2026.
A total of 214 participants attended the conference, including 83 international delegates from 16 SCO countries and 131 Indian delegates. The event featured 30 presentations, of which 19 were from SCO countries, and 11 presentations were delivered by the Indian side. The conference and the expo had active participation from representatives across various discussions, presentations, and trade activities.
The B2B expo in Guwahati saw the participation of 56 exhibitors, including industries, educational institutes, and Ayush service providers, and 60 buyers from 11 countries. More than 125 one-to-one meetings were held between buyers and sellers, and trade interest was received from 13 SCO countries.
The B2B conference was organized in line with the theme “SECURE” SCO, which stands for Security for Citizens, Economic Development, Connectivity, Unity, Respect for Sovereignty and Territorial Unity, and Environment Protection. The conference aimed to deliberate on the key agenda of the development of traditional medicine and its active promotion among the SCO member states to achieve the goal of Health Security among the SCO nations.