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 robust and enduring partnership between the WHO and Jordan across critical sectors, including universal health coverage, mental health advancement, and comprehensive humanitarian health action. The high-profile visit serves as a testament to Jordan’s ongoing dedication to safeguarding public health both domestically and across the wider Middle East region, despite facing persistent regional instability and immense humanitarian pressures.
A central and defining moment of the visit was today’s high-level meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II, reflecting the profound importance of this State visit and recognizing Jordan’s visionary leadership in advancing health as a vital national and global priority. Discussions between Dr Tedros and King Abdullah II focused heavily on strengthening resilient health systems, expanding equitable access to essential care, and sustaining international and regional support for emergency response operations. Particular attention was given to the ongoing crisis affecting the Palestinian people, the critical plight of patients evacuated from Gaza directly to Jordan for specialized medical treatment, and the millions of refugees generously hosted by the Jordanian government and its people over many years.
Expressing his deep gratitude, Dr Tedros stated that he wished to express his appreciation to His Majesty King Abdullah II for his unwavering commitment to advancing universal health coverage. The WHO chief also extended his sincere thanks to His Majesty and the people of Jordan for their remarkable solidarity and humanitarian generosity in providing comprehensive health services to more than three million refugees, primarily originating from Gaza and Syria, who are currently living within the country’s borders.
Dr Tedros further emphasized the global significance of Jordan’s actions, noting that the organization is deeply grateful for Jordan’s broader humanitarian leadership. This includes His Majesty’s visionary Medical Corridor initiative, a critical lifeline that successfully delivers specialized critical care to ill and injured children evacuated from Gaza. Through these ongoing efforts, Jordan continues to show the world what it truly means to put health and humanity first, even in the face of daunting geopolitical and economic challenges.
During the course of the day, Dr Tedros traveled to a specialized, WHO-supported hospital currently providing advanced, comprehensive care to children who have been evacuated from Gaza. During his visit, the Director-General 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 treatment for severe trauma injuries, pediatric cancer, and other complex, life-threatening conditions. This poignant hospital visit powerfully highlighted the irreplaceable importance of the medical evacuation corridor operating through Jordan, while simultaneously underscoring the urgent, ongoing need for sustained international financial and logistical support to ensure that vulnerable children and other individuals in critical need can maintain unhindered access to essential medical care.
In addition to his royal audience and hospital inspections, the Director-General convened a high-level strategic meeting with key health partners, international donor countries, United Nations agencies, and philanthropic organizations. The primary objective of this gathering was to deliberate on crucial financing priorities aimed at bolstering health system strengthening within Jordan, as well as sustaining ongoing humanitarian health actions. Key themes on the agenda included the urgent need to scale up comprehensive mental health services and to provide robust, long-term support to nations hosting exceptionally large refugee populations. Dr Tedros warmly welcomed the strong collaboration and continued dedication shown by international partners, praising their ongoing willingness to invest meaningfully in health infrastructure and resilience within Jordan and across the broader region.
Dr Tedros also held substantive bilateral discussions with the Jordanian Minister of Health, with talks centering on practical strategies for further strengthening Jordan’s national health system and steadily advancing the goal of universal health coverage. Jordan has consistently demonstrated genuine global leadership by successfully championing a primary health care approach to achieve universal health coverage. This includes the pioneering integration of mental health services into routine health delivery, ensuring that everyday citizens can access necessary psychological support as a seamless part of their standard medical care. The WHO continues to provide vital technical and operational support to this essential work, channeling its efforts through the Director-General’s Special Initiative for Mental Health.
Significantly, the Director-General was accompanied throughout several high-level engagements by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, participating in their official capacities as the founders of Archewell Philanthropies and as long-standing, dedicated supporters of the WHO’s global mandate. Archewell has previously provided valuable support to a diverse array of WHO initiatives, ranging from global efforts to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to crucial medical evacuation and mental health support programs. During the visit, Prince Harry actively participated as a committed global ally of the WHO’s ongoing mental health advocacy, forcefully highlighting the critical importance of investing heavily in psychological well-being across diverse communities and emergency settings, with a particular focus on the specific needs of men, young people, and children.
Reflecting on this collaboration, Dr Tedros expressed his gratitude to all participating partners, noting that he wanted to thank partners including Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. He remarked that their steadfast commitment to mental health and humanitarian action has successfully helped bring much-needed visibility, vital resources, and renewed hope to some of the world’s most vulnerable and overlooked communities, and that their valuable partnership is actively helping to advance the WHO’s core mission of ensuring health for all human beings.
Echoing these sentiments, Prince Harry shared his perspective on the visit, stating that it was a true honor to join the Director-General of the World Health Organization in Jordan, a country that continues to lead by inspiring example in compassion, resilience, and operational innovation. He noted that through their collaborative work with Archewell Philanthropies, he and his wife have witnessed firsthand the profound, tangible impact of the WHO’s tireless efforts to support mental health and deliver life-saving medical care in active emergency environments. Prince Harry reaffirmed that they remain deeply and personally committed to advancing public awareness, actively reducing persistent social stigmas, and expanding accessible mental health support for all individuals affected by the devastating impacts of conflict and humanitarian crisis. He added that mental health remains absolutely fundamental to human recovery, personal dignity, and long-term peace, and that they are proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the WHO and international partners around the world to ensure it remains a top global priority.
As the multi-day visit continues into its second phase, Dr Tedros has a packed schedule of significant engagements lined up across the country. On the second day of the visit, the WHO Director-General is scheduled to visit Jordan’s National Center for Rehabilitation of Addicts, an essential facility supported by the WHO that provides integrated medical, psychological, and social support services to those in recovery. In addition, he will hold collaborative meetings with prominent local community leaders and women’s empowerment groups, including representatives from the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development. He will also tour the renowned King Hussein Cancer Center to discuss cutting-edge advances in modern cancer care and explore opportunities for expanded regional medical collaboration.
The high-level State visit is set to conclude with a series of final engagements involving key international partners who actively support humanitarian operations in the area. These concluding meetings will serve to further reinforce Jordan’s indispensable, strategic role as a secure regional hub for medical evacuations, rapid emergency response coordination, and overall health system resilience throughout the Middle East.
The reporting for this coverage was supported by contributions from Paul Garwood, Communications Officer at the WHO, alongside the broader WHO Media Team at the World Health Organization headquarters.
