Geneva, September 17 (RHC)-- Cuba says that gender equality is an essential principle to promote and protect human rights and the empowerment of women.

Addressing the 30th period of sessions of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Cuban diplomat Claudia Pérez recalled that Cuba was the first country to sign and the second to ratify the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.

The Cuban diplomat criticized the prevailing sexual stereotypes, based on the roles men and women are presumed to play within society. She reiterated Cuba's commitment to the promotion of initiatives toward gender equality as part of the UN's post-2015 development agenda.