New Delhi: India and the United States of America signed the first-ever Cultural Property Agreement (CPA) to prevent the illegal trafficking of cultural property from India to the US, and the retrieval of antiquarian objects to their place of origin.
The CPA was signed by Govind Mohan, Secretary, Ministry of Culture and Eric Garcetti, Ambassador of the United States of America to India in the presence of Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on the sidelines of the 46th World Heritage Committee, at Bharat Mandapam, here today.
The Cultural Property Agreement (CPA) is aligned with the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, to which both countries are state parties. The Illicit trafficking of cultural property is a longstanding issue that has affected many cultures and countries throughout history. A large number of antiquities have been smuggled out of Bharat before the ratification of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, and they are now housed in various museums, institutions and private collections across the world.
Speaking on the occasion, Union Minister of Culture and Tourism, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat informed that the CPA signed between India and the United States of America today was a culmination of year-long bi-lateral discussions and negotiations held on the sidelines of the G20 Culture Working Group Meetings, and the groundbreaking endorsement of “culture as a standalone goal” in the post-2030 development framework in the New Delhi’s Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD), marking a paradigm shift in the global development strategy.
Shekhawat said the CPA was another step towards securing India’s rich and diverse cultural heritage and invaluable artifacts of our grand history. “It is the beginning of a new chapter to prevent the illegal trafficking of cultural property and retrieval of antiquarian objects to their place of origin,” he said, pointing out that the Indian government has adopted a proactive approach towards bringing back Indian artefacts from various parts of the world. “India has repatriated 358 antiquities since 1976, out of these 345 have been retrieved since 2014,” the Minister informed.
The Minister emphasized that India’s Cultural Creative Economy offers a blueprint for leveraging heritage and creativity for the greater good, benefiting not just India but the entire world by promoting cross-cultural understanding and sustainable development.
“The Prime Minister’s vision of ‘Vikas Bhi, Virasat Bhi’ and the Viksit Bharat Vision 2047 endorse the endless possibilities of the Cultural Creative Economy to foster vibrant and inclusive ecosystems, unlock new pathways of growth and sustainability and transform our economies and societies while preserving our cultural heritage,” he said.
Shekhawat informed that during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the USA on June 22-23, 2023, both the state parties expressed their strong interest in working expeditiously toward a Cultural Property Agreement aimed at preventing illegal trafficking of cultural heritage and enhancing cooperation between the two nations. As many as 262 antiquities were handed over to India by the USA on the occasion of this State visit.
The CPA restricts the importation into the United States of certain archaeological materials ranging in date from 1.7 million years ago through 1770 CE and certain ethnological material, which may include categories of civic, religious, and royal architectural material, religious material and ceremonial items, and manuscripts ranging in date from 2nd century BCE to 1947 CE. The list of such items restricted for import in the United States of America will be promulgated by the Government of the United States of America. As per the agreement, the United States of America shall offer to return to India any object or material on the Designate List forfeited to the Government of the United States of America.
The Agreement shall be helpful in the quick seizure of Indian antiquities at US Customs and their repatriation back to India. It is to be noted that the USA has already executed agreements with countries like -Algeria, Belize, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cyprus, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Greece, Guatemala, Honduras, Italy, Jordan, Mali, Morocco, Peru and Turkey.
– global bihari bureau
