During a meeting, a sub-division of the Plenary mandated to negotiate specific issues of the agenda, usually arranged by clusters. Open to all Parties. Between meetings, a subsidiary body established by the governing body of an international agreement to provide it with advice on specific issues. These working groups can be open-ended and meet periodically or be time-bound and meet once only. Open to all Parties. Example: the Ad Hoc Open-Ended Working Group on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing under the CBD. Can be treated as either formal or informal. Determination of the status of a group can be made by ascertaining whether or not the group was created by agreement or decision (there are a number of “ad hoc groups” or “joint working groups” which have been created by decision and are treated as formal bodies, subject to the rules).