In his speech as the first Croatian PM to address the U.N. General Assembly, Sanader also spoke about Croatia's candidacy for nonpermanent membership of the U.N. Security Council.
Sanader singled out terrorism and weapons of mass destruction as the biggest world threats, and said the U.N. should have the leading role in opposing these challenges.
In his address to the conference which pooled at least 89 heads of state and government, Sanader went on to say that if synergised with terrorism, weapons of mass destruction "could bring upon mankind a level of destruction of an unforeseeable scale".
"Therefore, we must not relax our efforts in the fight against global terrorism. Nor can we neglect the fatal impact of weapons of mass destruction. This has to remain at the top of our priorities. Any hesitation to address these issues in a timely and appropriate manner could have unforgiving consequences," Sanader said.
"In confronting alarming challenges, such as security, poverty, terrorism, pandemics and environmental issues, collective action is most likely to yield the best results, since not even the most powerful among us can bear the burden alone."
Sanader said the fact that so many world leaders gathered at the start of the 59th U.N. General Assembly session "serves as a telling affirmation that multilateralism is a driving force in global politics".
He stressed that Croatia was determined to contribute as best it could to the U.N.'s success and the principles on which it was founded.
Sanader said Croatia supported U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's assessment that the U.N. "requires adequate security and institutional agility to adapt to changing circumstances in the world".
He called on U.N. member countries to double their efforts in the reform of the Security Council and the revitalisation of the General Assembly.
In connection with the Security Council reform, Sanader said "Croatia supports the enlargement of the Security Council in all categories of membership, based on the appropriate regional representation".
He went on to say that Croatia supported the Millennium Declaration as the basis for the reform of the U.N. system.
Sanader highlighted the importance of U.N. engagement in the solving of world development problems, including poverty, drug trafficking, the spreading of diseases, and global climate changes.
Speaking of human rights, Sanader said Croatia supported the universal ratification of international instruments in the human rights field, but added that unless they were effectively implemented support itself would not be enough. He said Croatia felt the U.N. Human Rights Commission "should continue unhindered in its activities while carrying out its mandate". He added that in protecting human rights, Croatia attached particular attention to the rights of ethnic minorities, women, children, refugees and the disabled.
Sanader stressed Croatia supported the reinforcement of all agreements on international disarmament and nonproliferation of weapons.
He recalled that Croatian troops were active in seven U.N. peace missions, and said Croatia was willing to further intensify its peace mission participation, "regarding the composition and number of troops deployed as well as the theaters of operation".
Underlining that Croatia had presented its candidacy for nonpermanent membership of the U.N. Security Council in 2008-9, Sanader said this membership would be a great tribute as well as the recognition of efforts successfully invested in the peace and stability of Southeast Europe.
Sanader went on to say that Croatia was proud of its accomplishments because from being perceived upon gaining independence as a European hot spot, it managed to grow into one of the key generators of stability in Southeast Europe and beyond.
"Croatia is successfully embarked upon the road of Euro-Atlantic integration, with a clear goal of EU and NATO membership. Good bilateral relations with all our neighbours and beyond, cross-border and regional cooperation, as well as constructive multilateralism remain the bedrock of Croatia's foreign policy," Sanader concluded.