Happy International Women's Day! The UN theme for today is #PledgeForParity. So keep asking everyone to make their own personal pledge by signing our petition asking for Parity in Parliament change.org/5050Parliament. The great news is that today we have been invited to Parliament to launch our 50:50 Parliament Ambassador Programme. There is also going to be a great big 50:50 photo shoot in the heart of Westminster! And Mims Davies MP is bringing a debate to the Commons Chamber 4.00-7.00 about getting more women to Westminster, among other important things! Scroll down to see the press release with more information, please share it! Finally have a little look at this wonderful campaign video made by Sarah over the weekend. Says it all, we still need "Deeds Not Words" like the old Suffragette saying! #IWD16 #PledgeForParity #5050Parliament Frances, Isabel, Emily, Dipa, Charlie All 50:50 Parliament Team. 50:50 Parliament Campaign is invited to Westminster to launch their ‘50:50 Parliament Ambassador Programme’ and the Equality Debate in the Commons 4.00-7.00 International Women’s Day 2016 For more information or to set up interviews, please contact: Isabel Adomakoh Young: 07957789482 or email 5050Parliament@gmail.com London, 8 March 2016 11.30-13.00 – On behalf of Parliament, Mims Davies MP, Chair of the APPG Women in Parliament, has invited the 50:50 Parliament Campaign to the House of Commons on #IWD16. 50:50 will launch their 50:50 Parliament Ambassador Programme, at a workshop for 70 sixth form girls. These young women, drawn from across the UK, could be the leaders of tomorrow. 50:50 is a cross-party campaign to inspire interest and encourage engagement in politics aiming to support people who might consider standing for Parliament. 50:50 is also petitioning all Party Leaders for solutions and want everyone to take action to get better gender balance at Westminster. 50:50 is delighted that Mims Davies MP is bringing a debate to the Commons on equality of representation, which they will be watching very keenly. The UN theme for International Women’s Day 2016 is #PledgeForParity. There will be a 50:50 Parliament photocall with MPs from all parties in Westminster Hall at 12.30 so that MPs can show support for the 50:50 Parliament Campaign as a demonstration of their personal #PledgeForParity. Of the 650 seats in the Commons, 459 are held by men and 191 by women, so there are 268 more men. Men account for 71% of MPs, outnumbering women by more than 2:1. Women are the majority in life (51% of the UK population) but a minority in Parliament. There are more men currently sitting in the House of Commons than the total number of female MPs in history. The Lords has around 600 men and 200 women peers. 50:50 Parliament believes that this pressing issue needs fixing. 50:50 is calling on all Party Leaders for solutions to this age-old problem because they have the power to sort it out. 50:50 want women to lead, govern and legislate side by side with men, in roughly equal numbers. “It is extremely exciting to launch the 50:50 Parliament Ambassador Programme at Westminster on International Women’s Day! It’s wonderful that Parliament is making all these talented young women so welcome. As the PM has stated before, having more women in Parliament is "fantastically important". With the UN adopting #PledgeForParity as the theme for IWD16, it is clear that gender parity at Westminster should be top of the agenda. It is good to see that this important issue is to be debated in the Commons today. We want Party Leaders to demonstrate more commitment to this and ensure that women are equally welcome at Westminster as MPs and Peers: not just on International Women's Day but every day of the year. It is a disgrace that 150 years after the Suffrage Petition of 1866 we should still have to campaign for equality in Parliament. The UK Parliament should lead the way on this issue! As the old saying Suffragette saying goes we need “Deeds not words” 50:50 want everyone to take action for equality at Westminster!” says Frances Scott, Founder of 50:50 Parliament. “It’s wonderful that so many girls are taking part in this workshop from across the UK. I’m delighted that the 50:50 Campaign continues to go from strength to strength and congratulate Frances and the team on their continued vigour in pushing hard for an increase in representation which we are all working hard to encourage. International Women’s Day is absolutely vital in supporting campaigns such as this and I’m delighted as the Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Women in Parliament Group to be leading a vital debate in the Chamber with excellent cross party support in raising women’s issues and striving for parity.” says Mims Davies MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Women in Parliament Group. The 50:50 Parliament Petition has nearly 50,000 signatures. To support the campaign, please sign the petition at www.change.org/5050Parliament. On #IWD16 this can be your personal #PledgeForParity.