UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan Wednesday hailed the tsunami appeal response of the international community.

In a statement issued by his spokesman, Annan welcomes "the generous pledges and, more importantly, the firm commitments" announced yesterday in response to the United Nations Flash Appeal for the countries affected by the tsunami.

Meanwhile, Annan appealed to the international community to rapidly deliver on their pledges and urges all donors to sustain their support throughout the rehabilitation and reconstruction phase.

He also urged the international community to establish a regional early warning mechanism.

Annan appreciated this expression of confidence by the international community in the United Nations' coordination of relief efforts, and reiterates his intention to urgently establish a financial tracking system to ensure transparency, accountability and efficient management of relief and reconstruction funds.

Annan expected continued international cooperation, building on the encouraging efforts made during the initial response to the crisis.

He hoped that the global outpouring of solidarity and generosity will become a model for the response to other humanitarian crises.