India, US sign first-ever cultural property agreement for retrieval of antique objects

New Delhi: India and the United States on Friday signed their first agreement to prevent illegal trafficking of cultural property and return of antiquarian objects to their place of origin, the Ministry of Culture said. The US-India Cultural Property Agreement was signed by Union Cultural Secretary Govind Mohan and US envoy Eric Garcetti in the presence of Union Culture Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on the sidelines of the ongoing 46th session of the World Heritage Committee at Bharat Mandapam here.

Interacting with the press later, Shekhawat said it is a general agreement that will allow "smooth repatriation" of historic artefact from the US to India.

He added that there are "297 items" that are "lying in the US, ready to be repatriated."

India has repatriated 358 antiquities since 1976, out of these 345 have been retrieved since 2014, the minister said.

"The agreement aims to prevent illegal trafficking of cultural property and retrieval of antiquarian objects to their place of origin," the Culture Ministry said in a statement.

The US Embassy in a statement said that with this agreement, India joins the ranks of 29 existing US bilateral cultural property agreement partners.

"This cultural property agreement is about two things. First and foremost, it's about justice - returning to India and to Indians, what is rightfully theirs. Secondly, it's about connecting India with the world.

"Every American and every global citizen deserves to know, see, and experience the culture that we celebrate here today. To know Indian culture is to know human culture," the envoy said.

The US-India Cultural Property Agreement was negotiated by the State Department under the US law implementing the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, the statement said.

Garcetti also congratulated the government of India for hosting UNESCO's 46th session of the World Heritage Committee, saying it demonstrates the country's commitment to not only protecting its own cultural property, but also help others doing it.

"This event marks the culmination of nearly two years of diligent work by experts from both countries and fulfills President Biden's and Prime Minister Modi's commitment to enhance cooperation to protect cultural heritage highlighted in the joint statement issued after their meeting in June 2023.," the embassy said in the statement.

"Cultural property agreements prevent the illegal trade of cultural property and simplify the process by which looted and stolen antiquities may be returned to their country of origin.

"The United States has been unwavering in its commitment to protect and preserve cultural heritage worldwide and to restrict trafficking in cultural property," it said.