Context:
India and the US have signed their first Cultural Property Agreement (CPA) to tackle illegal trafficking of cultural artifacts and facilitate the return of antiquities to their countries of origin.
Relevance:
GS II: International Relations
Cultural Property Agreement
- The agreement adheres to Article 9 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention, which aims to prevent and prohibit the illegal import, export, and transfer of ownership of cultural property.
- The CPA limits the import into the US of specific archaeological and ethnological items dated from 1.7 million years ago to 1947. The US government will issue a detailed list of these restricted items.
- The US will offer to return any forfeited items from the Designated List to India.
- Similar agreements are in place between the US and other countries such as Algeria, Cambodia, China, Egypt, and Italy.
- This agreement emerged from extensive bilateral talks that began during the G20 meetings. Under India’s G20 Presidency, protecting cultural property has been a major focus.
- The Kashi Culture Pathway and the New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration (NDLD) of 2023 highlighted the commitment to combat illicit trafficking.
- This agreement represents a significant shift in global development strategies, emphasizing culture as a key goal in the post-2030 development framework.
