Supportive public health leadership for COVID-19 response in Jordan

Background: The WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean and the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) implemented a leadership programme on epidemic and pandemic preparedness and response, specific to the COVID-19 pandemic, during the second half of 2021. Aims: To highlight the leadership role played by the WHO Jordan Country Office during the COVID-19 pandemic in collaboration with UNSSC. Programme: The WHO Jordan country office successfully leveraged the expertise of UNSSC to implement a leadership training to prepare key stakeholders in Jordan for the response to COVID-19 and similar pandemics or outbreaks. The training curriculum included several modules such as leadership in times of crisis, strategic thinking and planning, emotional resilience, preparedness, adopting a system approach to response, and multisectoral partnership-building for pandemic response. The training helped strengthen the generation of evidence for policymaking and promotion of equitable access to health during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Leadership capacity strengthening of national counterparts by WHO and partners can help advance efforts at national level to increase the use of evidence for policymaking and response to pandemics and disease outbreaks.