Washington, D.C.- Pax Christi USA, the national Catholic peace movement, is the latest endorser to the Global Wellness Fund (GWF) Treaty, a unique initiative that directly links disarmament and nation development. Under the treaty, signatory nations would agree to reduce their military expenditures by a certain percentage annually, for at least five years, and donate the savings to a global wellness fund.

Pax Christi USA national coordinator, Dave Robinson, said the implementation of the treaty will help secure basic human needs for hundreds of thousands of individuals.

"The GWF Treaty is a prime example of how a community of nations can come together and work for human rights," Robinson said. "By reducing their military expenses, these nations will help developing countries improve their agriculture, strengthen their economies, and bolster their education and health care systems."

The Alliance for the Global Wellness Fund Treaty is a task force designed to advance and promote this initiative among member nations of the United Nations, and within the U.N. structure. According to their mission statement, the Alliance holds that "excessive military expenditures promote national debt, militate against economic growth, and waste money and human resoureces." (to view the entire mission statement, click here).