Water scarcity in the Middle East has been an issue for a long time. Given the current trends of unsustainable water withdrawals, population increase, degradation of land resources, and projected effects of climate chante on precipitation in the region, water scarcity will remain a major problem, particularly if the status quo is maintained. Achieving food security at the national and household levels will be difficult if policy reforms and technological advances do not take place urgently. Food security affects the human security of the most vulnerable people in the region, typically those living in rural areas and who are directly dependent on local agricultural production. The UNU-EHS has as main objective to explore threats to humain security from environmental degradation, unsustainable land use, and from natural and man-made hazards. UNU-EHS will launch a research programme on droughts and their effects on rural communities and will therefore actively seek interested partners from the Middle East region.