Climate change, the soccer world cup and the canonisation of Australia's first saint will feature in Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's latest overseas trip.
Mr Rudd leaves today for talks in Malaysia and Germany before he meets world leaders attending the 17-nation Major Economies Forum to be held in the earthquake-hit Italian town of L'Aquila.
It is expected the meeting of developed nations will take a big step towards bedding down world agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the United Nations summit in Copenhagen in December.
Mr Rudd will begin his six-day trip with a stopover in Kuala Lumpur where he will hold his first face-to-face talks with new Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
These talks are likely to include discussions on ways to curb people smuggling, the impact of the global recession on the region and Mr Rudd's campaign for a new Asia Pacific community.
From Malaysia, Mr Rudd will head to Berlin where he will have talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel tomorrow and attend an Australian business roundtable in the German capital.
Mr Rudd will take time out to visit an allied war cemetery and the Holocaust museum.
Before attending the forum in Italy, Mr Rudd will make a quick stop in Zurich on Wednesday to meet the head of the world soccer governing body FIFA, Sepp Blatter, to discuss Australia's bid to host the world cup in 2018 or 2022.
In Rome on the same day, Mr Rudd will be granted an audience with Pope Benedict XVI where he is expected to discuss the impact of the global recession, religious freedom and the potential canonisation of the founder of the Josephite order, the Blessed Mary MacKillop.
Mr Rudd will also meet Italy's Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi in Rome before attending the forum in the town of L'Aquila.
Mr Rudd will be accompanied by Climate Change Minister Penny Wong for talks on strategies aimed at bedding down a world agreement to reduce climate change.
The talks will be one of a series of meetings in the lead-up to Copenhagen.
The next significant meeting on climate change, ahead of Copenhagen, will be held before the G20 scheduled for Pittsburgh in the United States in September.
Mr Rudd is due to return to Australia next weekend. AAP