By Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Red Cross and government officials set an ambitious aid agenda for the next four years on Friday, agreeing to tackle the humanitarian impact of burning issues from climate change to migration.

Some 1,500 officials, wrapping up a week-long conference, also vowed to boost community efforts to prevent violence and fight both emerging and recurrent diseases.

"A new humanitarian agenda has been endorsed but our work has just begun. It is up to us, all of us, to move forward from words to actions," Mandisa Kalako-Williams, head of South Africa's Red Cross who chaired the talks, told a news briefing.

Meeting under the theme of "Together for Humanity", the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent linked 186 national societies and 194 countries.

It is held every four years to set strategy for the movement which deploys an army of 100 million volunteers worldwide, who are often called in to face disasters in their own backyards.

Officials also adopted resolutions reaffirming the Geneva Conventions and calling on Israel and Palestinian authorities to fully implement a 2005 agreement to allow Palestinian Red Crescent ambulances to move freely in Palestinian territory.

On climate change, officials unanimously adopted a declaration vowing to bring aid to the most vulnerable people, particularly in the poorest countries. Disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures will be stepped up.

The United Nations climate panel has blamed human activities, led by burning fossil fuels in power plants, factories and cars for stoking global warming.

Africa, the Arctic, small islands and Asian mega-deltas are likely to be especially affected by climate changes, it says. Sea level rise would continue for centuries due to the momentum of warming even if greenhouse gas levels are stabilised.

"We will seek to improve individual and collective capacity to respond swiftly to humanitarian challenges induced by environmental degradation and climate change," said the Red Cross declaration.

The United States, which initially said that the text put too much emphasis on climate change, joined the consensus.

Markku Niskala, secretary-general of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the world's largest disaster relief network was ready to work with governments and others to stem the effects of climate change.

"It is the most vulnerable people in the world who are suffering most from climate change. From our experience, the investment in disaster preparedness and adaptation to climate change have not been sufficient so far," Niskala added.

Red Cross and government officials also pledged to help people made vulnerable by migration, human trafficking and exploitation, "whatever their legal status". (Editing by Dominic Evans)

AlertNet news is provided by