Commonwealth Day flag raising ceremony – 2024

In the 75th year of the Commonwealth of Nations on Monday 11 March 2024 Commonwealth Day is celebrated by people across Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Americas, the Pacific and Europe.

In Highland, the Provost of Inverness, Councillors and guests met at the Town House, Inverness on Monday morning for a short ceremony.

The Provost of Inverness Councillor Glynis Campbell Sinclair read the Commonwealth Affirmation, and this was followed by the raising of the Commonwealth flag.

This year’s staging is especially significant as the modern Commonwealth celebrates its 75th anniversary in April this year.

The Commonwealth Affirmation reads:

“We affirm that every person possesses unique worth and dignity.

“We affirm our desire for peace among all peoples and nations, and our belief in justice for everyone, everywhere.

“We affirm our respect for the natural world, and that we will be stewards of the earth by working together to care for every part of it. 

“We affirm our support for all young people in every part of our Commonwealth and, in honouring their ingenuity and imagination, we affirm our belief that the future success of the Commonwealth rests with them.

“Joining together in kinship, affinity and unity, we celebrate the precious diversity of thought, culture, tradition and experience across our family of nations, and we build on shared inheritances.

“We reiterate our commitment to the values of the Commonwealth Charter, both as an expression of our ideals and aspirations, and as a framework for common action.

“Through our Commonwealth connection we see each other, hear each other, learn from one another, and co-operate with mutual respect and goodwill to deliver a resilient common future for all our communities and nations.”