The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, today successfully concluded the first day of his pivotal two-day State visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The high-level visit serves to underscore the exceptionally strong, enduring partnership between the global health agency and the Jordanian government across critical public health domains, most notably universal health coverage, comprehensive mental health integration, and vital humanitarian health action in a volatile regional landscape.
A central moment of the busy itinerary was today’s official meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II. This high-level audience highlighted both the immense strategic importance of the State visit and Jordan’s sustained global leadership in advancing health as an indispensable national and global priority. During their extensive consultations, Dr Tedros and King Abdullah II engaged in deep discussions focused on strengthening resilient national health systems, expanding equitable access to quality health care, and sustaining international support for emergency health responses across the Middle East. Particular attention was devoted to the plight of the Palestinian people, specifically patients medically evacuated from the Gaza Strip to Jordan for specialized treatment, alongside the millions of refugees generously hosted within Jordan’s borders.
Expressing his profound gratitude during the meetings, Dr Tedros noted his immense appreciation to His Majesty King Abdullah II for his unwavering personal commitment to advancing universal health coverage nationwide. Furthermore, the WHO Director-General extended his sincere thanks to both the King and the resilient people of Jordan for their extraordinary solidarity, boundless generosity, and continued dedication in providing essential health services to more than three million refugees, primarily originating from neighboring Gaza and war-torn Syria, who currently reside inside the country.
Dr Tedros further emphasized Jordan’s exemplary role on the international stage, praising the nation’s broader humanitarian leadership. He specifically highlighted His Majesty’s pioneering Medical Corridor initiative, a vital logistical and humanitarian lifeline that successfully delivers critical, life-saving medical care to seriously ill and injured children evacuated directly from Gaza. Through these ongoing efforts, Jordan continues to demonstrate to the international community what it genuinely means to put health and humanity first, even in times of severe regional adversity.
Earlier in the day, Dr Tedros undertook a deeply moving field visit to a specialized, WHO-supported hospital in the kingdom that provides advanced pediatric care to children evacuated from Gaza. Walking through the wards, the WHO chief met personally with young patients and their distraught families, as well as the tireless frontline health workers who are delivering life-saving treatment for severe trauma injuries, complex pediatric cancers, and other life-threatening medical conditions. This poignant visit powerfully underscored the indispensable importance of maintaining the medical evacuation corridor through Jordan and emphasized the urgent, ongoing need for sustained international financial and logistical support to ensure that vulnerable children and other individuals in critical need can continue to access essential, life-saving care without interruption.
Continuing his packed schedule, the Director-General subsequently convened a high-level strategic meeting with key health partners, international donor countries, specialized United Nations agencies, and prominent philanthropic organizations. The gathering served as a vital forum to discuss pressing financing priorities aimed at reinforcing Jordan’s domestic health system infrastructure and funding ongoing humanitarian health operations. Key topics on the agenda included scaling up community-based mental health services and securing robust, predictable support for countries that continue to shoulder the immense socio-economic and logistical responsibilities of hosting large refugee populations. Dr Tedros warmly welcomed the strong collaboration, ongoing dialogue, and steadfast commitment demonstrated by international partners to continue investing in the health sector of Jordan and the wider region.
In addition to multilateral engagements, Dr Tedros held focused bilateral discussions with the Jordanian Minister of Health. Their talks zeroed in on strategic measures to further strengthen Jordan’s national health system and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage. Jordan has consistently demonstrated genuine global leadership by championing a robust primary health care approach designed to achieve universal coverage, which notably includes the successful integration of mental health care into routine primary care facilities. This integration ensures that citizens and residents alike can access essential mental health services seamlessly as a standard part of their routine medical care. The World Health Organization continues to provide vital technical support to this trailblazing work through the Director-General’s Special Initiative for Mental Health.
Adding a notable collaborative dimension to the diplomatic mission, the Director-General was accompanied throughout several key engagements by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan. The royal couple participated in their official capacities as the founders of Archewell Philanthropies and as long-standing, dedicated supporters of the World Health Organization’s global public health agenda. Over the years, Archewell has actively supported a wide array of WHO initiatives, ranging from global efforts to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to crucial medical evacuation operations and comprehensive mental health support programs. Prince Harry actively participated in the day’s events as a committed ally of WHO’s ongoing mental health advocacy, using the platform to highlight the critical importance of investing in mental health support across local communities and high-stress emergency settings, with a deliberate, empathetic focus on men, young people, and children.
Reflecting on this unique partnership, Dr Tedros stated that he wanted to extend his personal thanks to their partners, including Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. He noted that their steadfast commitment to advancing mental health and humanitarian action has played an invaluable role in bringing much-needed visibility, vital resources, and renewed hope to some of the world’s most vulnerable and marginalized communities. Their active collaboration is significantly helping to propel forward the core WHO mission of ensuring health for all human beings, regardless of their circumstances.
Echoing these sentiments, Prince Harry shared his perspective on the joint mission, stating that it was a profound honor to join the Director-General of the World Health Organization in Jordan—a nation that continues to lead by inspiring example through its remarkable compassion, institutional resilience, and creative innovation. Through their collaborative work alongside Archewell Philanthropies, Prince Harry noted that he and his wife have witnessed first-hand the tangible, life-changing impact of WHO’s tireless efforts to support mental health and deliver life-saving medical care in acute emergencies. He reaffirmed their deep, unyielding commitment to advancing public awareness, actively reducing social stigma, and expanding equitable access to mental health support systems for all individuals whose lives have been upended by ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis. Emphasizing that mental health remains absolutely fundamental to human recovery, personal dignity, and long-term regional peace, Prince Harry expressed pride in standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the WHO and international partners to ensure mental health remains a permanent global priority.
Looking ahead to the remainder of the itinerary, the second day of Dr Tedros’s high-level State visit will feature a specialized visit to Jordan’s National Center for Rehabilitation of Addicts. The center, which receives vital technical and operational support from the WHO, delivers integrated medical, psychological, and social rehabilitation services to individuals in need. Furthermore, the Director-General is scheduled to meet directly with grassroots community leaders and prominent women’s advocacy groups, including the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development, to discuss community empowerment and health equity. He will also tour the renowned King Hussein Cancer Center to review recent clinical advances in specialized cancer care and explore expanded opportunities for regional medical collaboration.
The comprehensive State visit will officially draw to a close following a series of additional strategic engagements with international partners who actively support humanitarian and medical operations across the Middle East. These final meetings will serve to further reinforce Jordan’s indispensable, strategic position as a central regional hub for medical evacuations, rapid emergency health responses, and long-term health system resilience.
The coverage of the visit is being managed and coordinated by communications personnel including Paul Garwood, Communications Officer for the WHO, alongside the broader WHO Media Team at the World Health Organization headquarters.
