Introduction 7 and emerging challenges. The working groups included or consulted broadly with Members of the Security Council, the Secretariat, sanctions committees and their expert groups, other relevant UN and external organizations, other Member States, civil society and private sector representatives, to assess current sanctions practices. Committed to more effective, efficient and contemporary UN sanctions regimes, the sponsors tasked the working groups with developing practical, policy-oriented options to enhance sanctions implementation. In addition to the Member State-led HLR working groups, the United Nations Department of Political Affairs convened an Interagency Working Group on UN Sanctions (IAWG) to consolidate UN inputs into the HLR. Comprised of 20 entities, the IAWG identified key issues and provided written input to the HLR based upon deliberations over several months. The IAWG continues to function as an internal UN forum for discussion of sanctions-related concerns and issues. B. Working groups’ mandates and methods All working groups took as a starting point existing UN sanctions that the Security Council has authorised in resolutions. The Review did not examine the question of when, or for how long, the Council should apply sanctions to particular situations; it focused on what happens after the Council decides to apply sanctions. Likewise, as the Review examined relevant external organizations, it did not suggest mandate changes for the respective institutions, but rather focused on ways to enhance implementation of UN sanctions through improved cooperation and information-sharing. Working Group I Chaired by Australia, Working Group I’s terms of reference focused on how the UN system comes together, both internally and with relevant States, in implementing the Council’s sanctions resolutions. The working group’s objective was to develop a blueprint for the optimum implementation of the Council’s decision to apply sanctions, including a mechanism that would both allow collective discussion of sanctions implementation issues that cut across multiple sanctions regimes, as well as facilitate the provision of technical assistance to relevant states. In addition to the four other sponsoring States, Working Group I comprised representatives of all members of the Security Council for 2014, as well as all UN departments, offices, funds and programmes represented on the