Investigating fraud, corruption and misconduct

The UfM Oversight Committee is an independent and expert-advisory body which assists the UfMS with respect to the matters covered by the Code of Conduct, the Anti-Fraud & Anti-corruption Policy of the UfM Secretariat and related whistleblowing.  The UfM Secretariat encourages the reporting of suspected breaches of its Code of Conduct  and Anti-Fraud & Anti-corruption Policy, through its whistleblowing platform. Please access the whistleblowing channel (Ethical Line) accurately and provide all the necessary information to enable a credible assessment of the matter. To facilitate the investigation process, please do not forget to include your contact details. Information concerning your identity is confidential and will not be disclosed to other staff members or anyone outside the Oversight Committee without your prior consent.

When reporting through the Ethical Line, please include the following:

• what alleged wrongdoing is being reported
• where and when it happened (dates and times if available)
• who the perpetrator(s) is (are)
• how the individual or firm/organisation committed the alleged wrongdoing
• why the activity was improper

Members of the UfM Oversight Committee

The UfM Oversight Committee is composed of three members outside the internal governance of the UfM Secretariat, having recognized professional seniority and diversified experience, for a term of three years in accordance with relevant rules and regulations.

The three Members of the Oversight Committee are:

• Bernard Valero

Bernard Valero has been serving in the French diplomatic service for forty-five years. During his career, he was appointed, among many diplomatic posts, as Head of the Press and Information department of the French Embassy in Washington, General Consul in Barcelona, Ambassador in Skopje and Brussels, spokesperson and Director for the Press and Information department of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Bernard Valero is graduated from the Paris Institute of Political Studies. Contact: bernard.valero@ufmsecretariat.org

• Mohamed Edrees 

Retired Ambassador, former Permanent Representative of Egypt to the United Nations in New York. He is a former Physician who graduated in the College of Medicine Cairo University in 1983, joined the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs 1987, and acquired a master’s degree in political science from SOAS University of London in 1989. He perused a diversified diplomatic career, serving in the Departments of Policy Planning, US and Canada, Cabinet of the Foreign Minister, International Economic Relations, Arab Affairs, and assumed the position of Assistant Foreign Minister for African Affairs. His Foreign Diplomatic posts included the Egyptian Embassies in the USA, Turkey, Syria, Ethiopia, the African Union and the Mission to the UN in NY. He served as the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Egyptian Embassy in Damascus, Deputy Permanent Representative of Egypt to the UN in New York, Ambassador of Egypt to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU and UN ECA and then PR of Egypt to the UN in NY. He is a member of the Board of the South Centre in Geneva and a member of UfM-OC since 2024. Contact: mohamed.edrees@ufmsecretariat.org

• Athanasios Sakellariou

Athanasios Sakellariou has been a member of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) Oversight Committee since September 2024. With over fifteen years of experience in managing co-funded EU programs and combating fraud, he contributes to ensure adherence to the UfM Code of Conduct and Anti-Fraud & Anti-Corruption Policy. Athanasios is a Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) and an Anti-Fraud Expert at the Greek Anti-Fraud Coordination Service (AFCOS). In his current role, he has played a pivotal part in developing national anti-fraud strategies, managing complaints, and fostering collaboration among anti-fraud networks at national and European level. In addition, he has worked as the Head of the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Unit at the Hellenic Open University, as entrepreneurship consultant and as Special Scientific Staff at Greece’s Quality Assurance and Accreditation Agency. Athanasios holds master’s degrees in services management from Athens University of Economics and Business and Mediterranean Political, Economic, and International Relations from the University of the Aegean. Contact: athanasios.sakellariou@ufmsecretariat.org