The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed his gratitude to His Majesty King Abdullah II for his recent call to intensify efforts against smoking in Jordan.

In a tweet posted Friday, Ghebreyesus affirmed that the WHO will maintain its close collaboration with the Jordanian government to safeguard the well-being of the nation's citizens.

The WHO's office in Jordan also conveyed its appreciation for the recent royal directives, wherein His Majesty urged the government to step up measures to combat the prevalence of smoking in Jordan, particularly among young individuals.

A survey conducted by the Ministry of Health in partnership with the WHO revealed that 66.1 percent of males in Jordan are tobacco smokers, with an additional 15.9 percent using electronic cigarettes.

These statistics position Jordan among the nations with the highest rates of male smoking globally.