Croatia has ratified all anti-discrimination treaties that are part of international law with the exception of the Revised European Social Charter, which has been signed and is in the process of ratification (European Convention on Human Rights + Protocol 12; International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities; International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women; ILO Convention No. 111 on Discrimination; Convention on the Rights of the Child; and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities).

The Anti-discrimination Act has very wide scope of application – it applies to both public and private sector and to all areas without any limitation while explicitly enumerating ten areas to which special attention is to be paid: 1) work and working conditions; access to self-employment and occupation, including selection criteria, recruiting and promotion conditions; access to all types of vocational guidance, vocational training, professional improvement and retraining; 2) education, science and sports; 3) social security, including social welfare, pension and health insurance and unemployment insurance; 4) health protection; 5) judiciary and administration; 6) housing; 7) public informing and the media; 8)  access to goods and services and their providing; 9) membership and activities in trade unions, civil society organisations, political parties or any other organisations; 10) access to participation in the cultural and artistic creation.

The Anti-discrimination Act grants the Ombudsman powers as the central body for the elimination of discrimination and promotion of equal treatment irrespective of racial or ethnic origin. The Ombudsman is the central body for the elimination of discrimination based on other grounds as well, with the exception of disability, which falls within the competence of the Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities, sex and sexual orientation, which are dealt with by the Gender Equality Ombudsperson.