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, enduring partnership between the WHO and Jordan across critical areas including universal health coverage, mental health initiatives, and humanitarian health action. The high-level visit serves to highlight Jordan’s ongoing national and international leadership in championing health as both a fundamental human right and a crucial pillar of global stability.
A central moment of the visit was today’s meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II, reflecting the profound importance of this diplomatic mission and Jordan’s steadfast commitment to advancing health as a national and global priority. Discussions between Dr Tedros and the King focused intensively on strengthening health systems, expanding equitable access to quality care, and sustaining vital support for emergency responses throughout the region. Particular emphasis was placed on the pressing needs of the Palestinian people, patients evacuated from Gaza directly to Jordan for specialized medical treatment, and the millions of refugees generously hosted within the country’s borders.
Expressing deep gratitude during the engagements, Dr Tedros stated that he wished to express his appreciation to His Majesty King Abdullah II for his visionary commitment to advancing universal health coverage. The WHO chief also extended his thanks to His Majesty and the people of Jordan for their remarkable solidarity and generosity in providing comprehensive health services to more than three million refugees, primarily originating from Gaza and Syria, who are currently living inside the country.
Dr Tedros added that the organization is deeply grateful for Jordan’s broader humanitarian leadership, specifically highlighting His Majesty’s Medical Corridor initiative, which delivers critical, life-saving care to ill and injured children from Gaza. Through these and other efforts, Jordan continues to show the world what it truly means to put health and humanity first, even amid severe regional turmoil and resource constraints.
Earlier in the day, Dr Tedros visited a specialized, WHO-supported hospital actively providing advanced care to children evacuated from Gaza. During the hospital tour, he met directly with young patients and their families, as well as the dedicated frontline health workers who are tirelessly delivering life-saving treatment for severe injuries, cancer, and other complex medical conditions. This emotional and strategic visit highlighted the absolute necessity of maintaining the medical evacuation corridor through Jordan, while emphasizing the ongoing need for sustained international financial and logistical support to ensure that children and other vulnerable populations in desperate need can access essential health care without delay.
In addition to his field visits, the Director-General convened a high-level strategic meeting with key health partners, donor countries, various United Nations agencies, and prominent philanthropic organizations. The gathering served as a vital forum to discuss financing priorities aimed at reinforcing Jordan’s domestic health system and sustaining ongoing humanitarian health actions. Topics of discussion included scaling up critical mental health services and supporting host nations that shoulder the immense responsibility of housing large refugee populations. Dr Tedros welcomed the strong collaboration and continued commitment shown by all participating partners to invest meaningfully in health infrastructure within Jordan and across the wider region.
The WHO leader also held bilateral discussions with Jordan’s Minister of Health, centering specifically on long-term strategies for reinforcing the national health system and advancing universal health coverage. Jordan has consistently demonstrated global leadership by championing a robust primary health care approach to achieve universal health coverage. This includes the successful integration of mental health care into routine primary services, ensuring that everyday citizens can access psychological support as an ordinary part of their standard medical care. The World Health Organization continues to support this pioneering work through the Director-General’s Special Initiative for Mental Health, which aims to expand quality care to underserved and crisis-affected populations.
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 the founders of Archewell Philanthropies and long-standing, dedicated supporters of the WHO’s global mission. Archewell has previously supported a wide range of WHO initiatives, stretching from equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to complex medical evacuation and comprehensive mental health programmes. Prince Harry participated actively as a committed ally of the WHO’s work on mental health, using the platform to highlight the vital importance of investing in psychological wellbeing across communities and emergency settings, with particular attention directed toward men, young people, and children who bear heavy psychological burdens during conflicts.
Reflecting on this collaboration, Dr Tedros stated that he wanted to extend his sincere thanks to their partners, including Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. He noted that their unwavering commitment to mental health and humanitarian action has helped bring crucial visibility, valuable resources, and renewed hope to some of the world’s most vulnerable communities, ultimately helping to advance the WHO’s core mission of ensuring health for all people everywhere.
Echoing these sentiments, Prince Harry shared his perspective on the visit, stating that it is a true honor to join the Director-General of the World Health Organization in Jordan—a country that is leading by example through its remarkable compassion, resilience, and institutional innovation. Through their ongoing work with Archewell Philanthropies, Prince Harry noted that he and his wife have witnessed first-hand the profound, tangible impact of the WHO’s efforts to support mental health and deliver life-saving care in acute emergencies. He affirmed their deep, ongoing commitment to advancing awareness, reducing the social stigma surrounding psychological struggles, and expanding access to mental health support for everyone affected by conflict and crisis. Emphasizing that mental health is fundamental to human recovery, personal dignity, and long-term peace, Prince Harry expressed pride in standing alongside the WHO and partners around the world to make mental health an undeniable global priority.
Looking ahead to the remainder of the itinerary, the second day of the State visit will see Dr Tedros travel to Jordan’s National Center for Rehabilitation of Addicts, an institution supported by the WHO that delivers comprehensive, integrated medical, psychological, and social services to those in recovery. He is also scheduled to meet with prominent community leaders and women’s groups, including representatives from the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development. Furthermore, he will tour the renowned King Hussein Cancer Center to discuss cutting-edge advances in cancer treatment and explore opportunities for enhanced regional medical collaboration.
The high-level State visit will formally conclude with a series of additional engagements involving key international partners who support vital humanitarian operations across the Middle East. These final meetings will serve to reinforce Jordan’s indispensable, central role as a regional hub for medical evacuation, rapid emergency response, and long-term health system resilience.
