In a talk at the Council's first session, she said human rights must be protected on the national level of all UN member states, the foreign ministry said in a press release.
Speaking of women's rights, Grabar-Kitarovic voiced hope the Human Rights Council would focus on violations of women's rights.
Speaking of Croatia's experience with special rapporteurs for the former Yugoslavia, Grabar-Kitarovic told the session she expected the UN Human Rights Council to be more effective when dealing with grave violations of human rights.
Croatia supported the adoption of the international convention of forced disappearance which is expected to help find the truth about missing persons, the ministry statement said.
Grabar-Kitarovic told the session Croatia supported the development and strengthening of the government's role in the implementation of human rights standards, and maintained that the UN Human Rights Council and the Peace Building Commission, of which Croatia is a new member, should cooperate closely.
On Monday evening, Grabar-Kitarovic and her Swiss counterpart Micheline Calmy-Rey hosted a dinner for women foreign ministers and other women senior officials of the UN at which Croatia initiated the adoption of a statement on the political participation of women which will contribute to the work of the UN Human Rights Council.
The statement was also adopted by the foreign ministers of Barbados, Japan and Liechtenstein, the deputy foreign minister of Uruguay, the justice ministers of Mozambique and Rwanda, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour and Nobel prize winner for peace Wangari Mathai.
The statement was endorsed by the foreign ministers of Austria, Hungary, Israel, South Africa, Great Britain, Macedonia and Poland, the deputy prime minister of Spain and the European Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Benita Ferrero-Waldner.