The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, today concluded the first day of his two-day State visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, underscoring the strong, multifaceted partnership between the WHO and Jordan across critical areas including universal health coverage, mental health, and humanitarian health action. The high-level visit highlights Jordan’s pivotal role as a regional leader in health diplomacy, emergency response, and refugee support amid ongoing regional crises.
A central moment of the visit was today’s high-profile meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II, reflecting the profound importance of this State visit and Jordan’s sustained national and global leadership in advancing health as a fundamental priority. Discussions between Dr Tedros and the King focused heavily on strengthening health systems, expanding equitable access to essential care, and securing sustained international support for emergency responses throughout the region. Particular attention was given to the plight of the Palestinian people, patients evacuated directly from Gaza to Jordan for specialized medical treatment, and the millions of refugees hosted within the Jordanian borders.
Expressing his deep gratitude, Dr Tedros stated during the engagements, “I wish to express my appreciation to His Majesty King Abdullah II for his commitment to advancing universal health coverage. I also extend my thanks to His Majesty and the people of Jordan for their solidarity and generosity in providing health services to more than three million refugees, primarily from Gaza and Syria, who are living in the country.”
Dr Tedros further elaborated on the Kingdom’s exemplary humanitarian posture, noting that the WHO remains profoundly grateful for Jordan’s broader leadership, including His Majesty’s crucial Medical Corridor initiative. This vital logistical and humanitarian mechanism delivers critical medical care to ill and injured children evacuated from Gaza. Through these ongoing efforts, Jordan continues to demonstrate to the international community what it truly means to put health, dignity, and humanity first, even in the face of immense geopolitical and economic challenges.
As part of his packed itinerary on the first day, Dr Tedros visited a specialized, WHO-supported hospital actively providing critical care to children evacuated from conflict zones in Gaza. During the hospital tour, he met directly with young patients and their families, as well as the dedicated frontline health workers who are working tirelessly around the clock to deliver life-saving treatments for severe traumatic injuries, advanced cancer cases, and other critical medical conditions. This emotional and strategic visit underscored the indispensable importance of maintaining and expanding the medical evacuation corridor operating through Jordan, while emphasizing the urgent need for sustained international financial and logistical support to ensure that vulnerable children and other patients in desperate need can access essential, life-saving care without interruption.
In addition to his royal audience and hospital visits, the WHO Director-General convened a high-level strategic meeting with key health partners, donor countries, various United Nations agencies, and prominent philanthropic organizations. The primary objective of this gathering was to discuss comprehensive financing priorities aimed at reinforcing Jordan’s national health system and sustaining ongoing humanitarian health actions. Topics of discussion included scaling up vital mental health services and supporting countries that shoulder the heavy responsibility of hosting large refugee populations. Dr Tedros warmly welcomed the strong collaboration and continued dedication of international partners to invest in health resilience within Jordan and across the broader Eastern Mediterranean region.
Earlier in the day, Dr Tedros also held bilateral discussions with Jordan’s Minister of Health. These talks centered on practical strategies for consolidating Jordan’s health system framework and aggressively advancing universal health coverage. Jordan has consistently demonstrated global leadership by adopting and strengthening a comprehensive primary health care approach to achieve universal health coverage. This includes the successful integration of mental health into primary care frameworks, ensuring that ordinary citizens and residents can seamlessly access mental health services as a standard, routine component of their overall health care. The WHO continues to provide robust technical support for this vital work through the Director-General’s Special Initiative for Mental Health, which aims to expand quality care in underserved and crisis-affected regions.
Significantly, the Director-General was accompanied during several key engagements by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, participating in their official capacities as founders of Archewell Philanthropies and long-standing supporters of the WHO’s global mission. Archewell has previously provided critical support to a wide range of WHO initiatives, stretching from equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines to vital medical evacuation operations and mental health programming. Prince Harry actively participated in the day’s events as a committed ally of the WHO’s mental health advocacy, highlighting the critical importance of investing in mental health resources across local communities and emergency settings alike, with a particular focus on men, young people, and children who are disproportionately affected by psychological trauma.
Reflecting on this collaborative partnership, Dr Tedros remarked, “I want to thank our partners, including Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, whose commitment to mental health and humanitarian action has helped bring visibility, resources and hope to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. Their collaboration is helping to advance WHO’s mission to ensure health for all.”
Echoing these sentiments, Prince Harry shared his perspective on the visit: “It is an honour to join the Director-General of the World Health Organization in Jordan, a country that is leading by example in compassion, resilience and innovation. Through our work with Archewell Philanthropies, my wife and I have seen first-hand the impact of WHO’s efforts to support mental health and deliver life-saving care in emergencies. We remain deeply committed to advancing awareness, reducing stigma and expanding access to mental health support for all those affected by conflict and crisis. Mental health is fundamental to recovery, dignity and long-term peace, and we are proud to stand with WHO and partners around the world to make it a global priority.”
Looking ahead to the continuation of the State visit, Dr Tedros has a robust schedule lined up for the second day. He is slated to visit Jordan’s National Center for Rehabilitation of Addicts, an institution supported by the WHO that delivers comprehensive, integrated medical, psychological, and social support services to individuals in recovery. Furthermore, he will meet with community leaders and prominent women’s advocacy groups, including representatives from the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development, to discuss grassroots community empowerment and health equity. His itinerary also includes a visit to the renowned King Hussein Cancer Center, where he will engage with medical experts regarding recent advances in cancer treatment and explore avenues for enhanced regional collaboration in oncology care.
The high-level State visit will ultimately conclude with additional strategic engagements involving international partners who support ongoing humanitarian operations in the Kingdom. These final meetings will serve to further reinforce Jordan’s indispensable role as a central regional hub for medical evacuations, rapid emergency response, and long-term health system resilience in the Middle East.
Reporting by Paul Garwood, Communications Officer, WHO, and the WHO Media Team, World Health Organization.
