GEO-7 Intergovernmental and Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (IMAG) Meeting Summary, June 12, 2024

The Intergovernmental and Multi-stakeholder Advisory Group (IMAG) met for its twelfth virtual call to discuss the following agenda items: 1. Review and feedback on the GEO-7 First Order Draft Review. 2. Review and feedback on the draft revised GEO-7 timeline. 3. Review and feedback of the GEO-7 approach for providing a validation opinion. 4. Any Other Business. On these items the IMAG decided: That addressing all peer review comments thoroughly reinforces the credibility of the process and aligns the report with established scientific standards; That the Secretariat will put measures in place to encourage broader participation in the peer review process, including targeted invitations to key stakeholders, engagement with academic institutions, and leveraging existing networks within UNEP.; That the IMAG and the MESAG will jointly discuss and decide on the approach for providing a validation opinion during the in-person September meeting in Nairobi, which will serve as an official endorsement of the GEO-7 process, ensuring that all scientific, procedural, and quality assurance principles have been upheld; It was agreed that the IMAG will participate at the in-person meeting in Nairobi on the 2nd – 6th September, where both IMAG and MESAG will finalize the structure and scope of the validation opinion assessment; The IMAG will continue to refine their evaluation criteria for their validation opinion based on the GEO-7 operating principles; That the IMAG will focus on quality control, geographic balance, and transparency in their validation opinion assessment; That the Secretariat recognizes the need for careful planning to balance comprehensive peer review with timely delivery of the final outputs for GEO-7; The importance of maintaining the integrity of the peer review process for the Malawi NSEOR.