The 44th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting ended here Thursday by adopting the Majuro Declaration for Climate Leadership.

The move marked a critical step in the region's efforts to accelerate the global response to the climate change that is the greatest threat to the security, livelihood and well-being of the people of the Pacific, and other vulnerable countries worldwide.

The declaration is intended to highlight the leaders' strong political commitment to be the region of Climate Leaders, and is an effort to spark a new wave of climate leadership that accelerates the reduction and phasing down of greenhouse gas emission worldwide.

The Pacific leaders recognized the need for strengthened national systems to plan for, access, deliver, absorb and monitor climate change financing.

The Pacific leaders called on donors and development partners to report on their climate change financing and how they differentiate or integrate such financing with their Official Development Aid allocations, noting New Zealand and Austria's existing efforts in this regard.

The Pacific leaders also urged donors to continue to simply and harmonize their assessment, implementation and reporting process for funding and assistance to reduce the complexity of current arrangements.

They also reiterated member countries' preference for using national systems and modalities for channelling climate change finance guided by relevant country owned policies and plans for adaption, mitigation and risk reduction, said the declaration.