UNL WILL LEAD ACTIVITIES RELATED TO STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT EVALUATION OF DROUGHT PRODUCTS FROM THE PROJECT AND INTEGRATION INTO DROUGHT MONITORING SYSTEMS. SPECIFIC EFFORTS WILL FOCUS ON THE REGIONAL DROUGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (RDMS) FOR THE MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA (MENA) THAT WAS DEVELOPED BY AN USAID- AND FAO-SUPPORTED PROJECT THAT WAS CO-LEAD BY UNL. THE MENA RDMS SERVES THE REGION BY: (1) ESTABLISHING REGIONAL DROUGHT MONITORING AND EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS AND ASSOCIATED INFORMATION DELIVERY SYSTEMS; (2) PROVIDING ASSESSMENT OF DROUGHT VULNERABILITIES AND IMPACTS; AND (3) DEVELOPING ACTIONS AND MEASURES TO MITIGATE AND RESPOND TO DROUGHT IMPACTS. THE MENA RDMS PROJECT TEAM (ICBA AND UNL) WORKS DIRECTLY WITH A NETWORK OF DIVERSIFIED STAKEHOLDERS INCLUDING WATER MANAGEMENT INSTITUTIONS POLICY MAKERS WATER USER ASSOCIATIONS AND LARGE AGRIBUSINESSES IN TUNISIA JORDAN LEBANON AND MOROCCO. ONE CRITICAL PART OF THE REGIONAL DROUGHT MONITORING SYSTEM IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPOSITE DROUGHT INDEX OVER THE MENA REGION WHICH INGESTS SEVERAL MODELED AND REMOTE SENSING BASED INPUTS TO PRODUCE MONTHLY ASSESSMENTS OF THE CURRENT DROUGHT SITUATION OVER THE REGION. THE MENA RDMS HAS REQUESTED THE INCLUSION OF ESI AS ONE OF THE PRIMARY INPUTS FOR THEIR OPERATIONAL COMPOSITE DROUGHT INDEX FOR THE MENA REGION PROVIDING AN IMPROVED AGRICULTURAL DROUGHT MONITORING TOOL TO AGRICULTURAL STAKEHOLDERS IN THE REGION.