The Secretariat shall: a) under the policy guidance provided by the Conference of the Parties, and in cooperation with the Standing Committee's intersessional Working Group on IPBES, established pursuant to Decision 16.14 (Rev. CoP17), continue to track and contribute to the intersessional and regular work of IPBES bodies; b) subject to external funds, participate as an observer in the governing body of IPBES and thereby reinforce linkages between that body and the governing bodies of CITES; c) seek external funding to support attendance at IPBES meetings by the Chairs of the Animals and Plants Committees and the Secretariat; and d) report regularly to the Standing Committee, as well as at the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties, on the results of this work.