37 V. Supporting sanctions infrastructure A. Sanctions committees chairs A committee’s capacity for engagement, both with stakeholder States, as well as with the broader UN Membership, is partly a factor of the committee’s overall workload. This workload can vary dramatically among committees, influenced by the situation on the ground but also by the dynamics within the Council and consensus (or lack thereof) regarding the Council’s response. The quality of the expert group’s work and its recommendations also influence Committee workloads. HLR consultations identified three key factors to consider when preparing a new Security Council Member for the responsibility of chairing a sanctions committee: (1) the time available between the Member’s election to and commencement on the Council (bearing in mind that the Council’s assignment of chairs is finalised after that Member’s commencement on the Council); (2) the familiarity of the Chair’s Permanent Mission with the geopolitical situation underpinning the sanctions regime administered by the committee (bearing in mind the Council’s preference to assign geographically focused sanctions regimes to Members outside of the relevant region); and (3) expertise within the Permanent Mission related to the strategic, legal and technical dimensions of sanctions themselves. Consultations also identified five sources of information and advice that are particularly valuable in preparing for the role of chairing a sanctions committee: (1) briefing by the outgoing Chair providing a unique perspective on the role of chair, political dimensions, the relationships with and between other committee members, interested Member States and, the Secretariat; (2) early briefing by the Subsidiary Organs Branch essential to understanding how the committee operates, as well as to receive broader information on UN sanctions in general; (3) early meetings with the relevant expert group to provide crucial insight into the situation on the ground; (4) dedicated briefings from other parts of the UN system related to sanctions, for example DPKO and the geographic branches of DPA; and (5) meeting with focus State of the