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 partnership between WHO and Jordan across the areas of universal health coverage (UHC), mental health and humanitarian health action.
A central moment of the visit was today’s meeting with His Majesty King Abdullah II, reflecting the importance of this State visit and Jordan’s leadership in advancing health as a national and global priority. Discussions focused on strengthening health systems, expanding access to care, and sustaining support for emergency responses in the region, particularly for the Palestinian people, patients evacuated from Gaza to Jordan for treatment, and refugees hosted in Jordan.
“I wish to express my appreciation to His Majesty King Abdullah II for his commitment to advancing universal health coverage,” said Dr Tedros. “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 added: “We are grateful for Jordan’s broader humanitarian leadership, including His Majesty’s Medical Corridor initiative, which delivers critical care to ill and injured children from Gaza. Jordan continues to show the world what it truly means to put health and humanity first.”
During the day, Dr Tedros visited a WHO-supported hospital providing specialized care to children evacuated from Gaza. He met young patients and their families, as well as frontline health workers delivering life-saving treatment for injuries, cancer and other serious conditions. The visit highlighted the importance of the medical evacuation corridor through Jordan and the need for sustained international support to ensure children and others in need can access essential care.
The Director-General also convened a high-level meeting with health partners, donor countries, United Nations agencies and philanthropies to discuss financing priorities for health system strengthening in Jordan and ongoing humanitarian health action, including scaling up mental health services and supporting countries hosting large refugee populations. He welcomed the strong collaboration and continued commitment of partners to invest in health in Jordan and across the region.
He further held bilateral discussions with the Minister of Health, focusing on strengthening Jordan’s health system and advancing UHC. Jordan has demonstrated global leadership in strengthening a primary health care approach to achieve UHC including the integration of mental health, ensuring that people can access mental health services as part of routine care. WHO continues to support this work through the Director-General’s Special Initiative for Mental Health.
The Director-General was accompanied during several engagements by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Prince Harry and Meghan, in their capacities as founders of Archewell Philanthropies and long-standing supporters of WHO’s work. Archewell has supported WHO initiatives ranging from equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines to medical evacuation and mental health programmes. Prince Harry also participated as an ally of WHO’s work on mental health, highlighting the importance of investing in mental health across communities and emergency settings, with particular attention to men, young people and children.
Dr Tedros said: “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.”
Prince Harry said: “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.”
During the second day of the visit, Dr Tedros will visit Jordan’s National Center for Rehabilitation of Addicts, which is supported by WHO and provides integrated medical, psychological and social services. He will also meet with community leaders and women’s groups, including the Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development, and visit the King Hussein Cancer Center to discuss advances in cancer care and regional collaboration.
The State visit will conclude with additional engagements with partners supporting humanitarian operations, reinforcing Jordan’s critical role as a hub for medical evacuation, emergency response and health system resilience in the region.
