The Government is to stockpile emergency aid supplies in southern Italy to help up to 20,000 people in the event of a natural disaster such as a tsunami or an earthquake.
Materials such as tents and cooking equipment will be pre-positioned at the port of Brindisi, which already acts as a UN logistics hub.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Conor Lenihan will approve the necessary paperwork with the UN World Food Programme in Dublin tomorrow.
"The agreement will mark the first formal step in the roll out of Ireland's Rapid Response Initiative, as proposed in the recent White Paper on Irish Aid," said a Foreign Affairs Department spokesperson.
As part of the project, further aid supplies will be stored at the Curragh Camp in Co Kildare as it is close to Dublin Airport and Baldonnel Airport.
The Government will also draw up a register of skilled professionals such as engineers in the public and private sector who could be deployed within 24 hours to assist in emergency situations.
A new dedicated unit for conflict analysis and resolution will also be established in the Foreign Affairs Department.
As outlined in the White Paper, a hunger taskforce will also be established to examine how the country can help tackle the root causes of food insecurity, particularly in Africa.