Actor, Gael Garcia Bernal supports Oxfam call for fair trade

The Mexican actor, Gael Garcia Bernal, star of two films currently playing in UK cinemas, Babel and The Science of Sleep, today added his voice to calls for fairer trade rules for poor countries, as Oxfam, the international development charity, released a new report on free trade agreements.

"Oxfam's report highlights the trade strategy of the US and EU. Both powers, having failed to get what they want at the World Trade Organisation, now want to impose unfair conditions on us via regional trade agreements," said the star currently based in Mexico.

"It is unbelievable that the trade deals that the EU and US are pushing will enable their big companies to make millions of dollars of profits, at the expense of millions of farmers, small businesses and the environment," he added.

Bernal, who made is name in films such as The Motorcycle Diaries and Y Tu Mamá También has been supporting Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign since 2005, when he attended an anti-poverty rally in Edinburgh. He subsequently traveled to Mexico with the charity to visit farmers affected by unfair trade.

"Mexico has already suffered the impact of free trade deals - I saw it first hand when I met with small-scale producers of maize in Chiapas. It will be worse if they fully liberalize the market for maize, beans, rice and powdered milk. These agreements demonstrate the absence of political will to transform trade into a tool in the fight against poverty," said Bernal.

Oxfam's report reveals:
• There are more than 250 regional or bilateral trade agreements in force, governing 30% of world trade
• 1.3m people in Mexico lost their jobs after the free trade agreement with the US
• Nearly 1 million people in Peru could find themselves without access to affordable medicines if the proposed free trade agreement with the US goes ahead
• Farmers and workers in some of the poorest countries in Africa face a bleak future as a result of free trade deals that the European Union wants to finish by the end of the year

Barry Coates, Executive Director of Oxfam New Zealand said: "We are grateful for Gael's support. We need to call attention to these hugely unfair deals being pushed by the EU and US that threaten to lock poor countries into poverty."

Bernal concluded: "I hope that this document reaches decision makers and serves to promote fairer trade rules that help to eliminate poverty and generate more equitable relations between countries."

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