NEW DELHI: Giving a significant global push to alternative medicines , the Cabinet approved a pact between the AYUSH ministry and the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the field of traditional medicine.The agreement between the AYUSH ministry and the UN agency has scope for collaborative activities in the area of traditional medicine, which is expected to internationally promote AYUSH system of medicines and enhance their acceptability.The move will also help in long-term collaboration with WHO in facilitating awareness about AYUSH medicines through education, skill development, workshops and exchange programmes between AYUSH and WHO for capacity building.The collaboration will “facilitate advocacy and dissemination of information on AYUSH systems amongst the member states, collaboration with third parties for creating synergies in implementation of WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014-2023 particularly in the context of AYUSH systems,” an official statement said.The expenditure for carrying out collaborative activities will be met from the allocated budget under the existing plan schemes of AYUSH ministry. The activities will start subsequent to the signing of agreements by the two parties as per terms of reference.As a first step in the long-term collaboration, India would assign to WHO activities for development of its technical documents and publications like benchmarks for training in yoga, practice in ayurveda, unani medicine and Panchakarma.Under the collaboration, AYUSH and WHO would take up other activities that could encompass multilateral collaboration for promotion of traditional and complementary medicine or systems, the statement said. This will include development of the WHO publication on the basic terminologies, establishment of a database for global practitioners and establishment of a network of international regulatory cooperation, the statement said, adding the agreement between WHO and AYUSH is expected to benefit the practitioners of AYUSH systems.