Workshop 9: Exploring Proactive Investigations
Workshop 9 aims to introduce participants to the strategic and operational foundations of proactive investigations, highlighting why they matter, how they can be implemented in both internal and external contexts, and what resources, tools, and governance arrangements are needed to sustain them.
Gaston Darioli (UNDP)
Currently serving as Chief, Regional Investigations and Proactive Operations with the UNDP’s Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI), Gaston has over 25 years of professional experience in the field of criminal and administrative investigations, at both national and international levels, fraud risk management and criminal analysis. For the last ten years, he has led a dedicated team of professionals investigating allegations of corruption, financial fraud, and sexual misconduct within UNDP. He is fluent in four languages, English, French, Italian, and German.
Moncef Ghrib (UNFPA)
Moncef Ghrib is the Director of the Office of Audit and Investigation Services (OAIS) at the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a position he has held since September 2023. With over 29 years of experience in audit, investigations, oversight and risk management across the United Nations system, he is recognized for his leadership in strengthening accountability, transparency, and governance in international development and humanitarian operations.
Before joining UNFPA, Moncef Ghrib served with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), where he held various senior oversight roles, including Head of Internal Audit and Officer-in-Charge of the Office of Audit and Investigations (OAI). Throughout his UN career, he has led or oversaw complex audit and investigation engagements in some of the most challenging operating environments, supporting the establishment of strong internal control frameworks and risk-based assurance systems across UN field offices.
His tenure at UNDP and later at UNFPA has been characterized by a strategic vision for modernizing oversight functions—moving from a reactive approach to a proactive and learning-oriented oversight culture. He has consistently emphasized the value of ethical leadership, integrity, and accountability as pillars of effective UN operations.
As Director of OAIS, Moncef Ghrib occupies a critical leadership role in safeguarding the integrity and effectiveness of UNFPA’s operations worldwide. He reports directly to the Executive Director of UNFPA and provides independent and objective assurance and investigation services to the organization’s management and governing bodies. He is responsible for leading a global team of auditors and investigators who assess governance, risk management, internal controls, and the integrity of UNFPA’s operations in over 150 countries.
Alan Bacarese (WBG)
Alan joined the World Bank Group’s Integrity Vice Presidency (INT) as Director of Investigations, Strategy, and Operations in February 2021.
In this role, Alan oversees INT’s investigations of alleged fraud, corruption, and other sanctionable practices involving projects and activities financed by the World Bank Group, its corporate vendors, and World Bank Group staff, as well as efforts to litigate substantiated investigations within the World Bank Group’s Sanctions System. He also manages INT’s Prevention, Risk, and Knowledge Management function, to promote best practices in the prevention of fraud and corruption in World Bank Group–supported projects. In addition, Alan provides support to INT’s Vice President in setting the strategic priorities for the unit’s overall anticorruption efforts.
Alan has over 30 years experience in investigating and prosecuting matters of international fraud and corruption. Before joining INT, he was the Director of Integrity and Anti-Corruption for the African Development Bank, where he led the Bank’s anticorruption investigation function and its policies on anticorruption and integrity measures, as well as the Bank’s business integrity due diligence function. His past roles include serving as a UK Senior Crown Prosecutor, the first Head of Legal and Case Consultancy at the Basel Institute’s International Centre for Asset Recovery and an External Member of the Inter-American Development Bank’s Sanctions Committee. Alan is a UK national and holds an LLB (Hons.) in law and is qualified as a UK Barrister and an Advocate of the Higher Courts of England and Wales. He is the author of many published articles, technical papers and is a co-author to the UK’s leading UK legal text on Corruption and Misconduct in Public Office (published by OUP – 4th Ed. – https://academic.oup.com/book/58180).
Anaïs Nau (IOM)
Anaïs is the Deputy Director (Investigations) at the International Organization for Migration’s Office of Internal Oversight – OIO. Prior to her current assignment, she served as the OIO Chief of Investigations and before this she was OIO’s Head of Intake and Digital Forensics. Anaïs started her United Nations career at the UN Secretariat’s Department of Peacekeeping Operations working on rule of law reform in post-conflict environments. She then joined the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) where she specialized in administrative investigations. Anaïs worked for OIOS in various locations and functions including on professional practices and as Senior Investigator for sexual harassment investigations. She also was a Legal Officer at the IOM Office of Legal Affairs handling disciplinary proceedings and providing legal advice on matters related to administrative law and appeals. Before serving with the United Nations, Anaïs worked in a private bank on compliance processes, clerked in the Chambers of the International Criminal Court and was a Research and Teaching Assistant at the University of Basel Law Faculty. She holds degrees from the Geneva Graduate Institute and University of Basel Law School.
