The U.S.-India Cultural Property Agreement (CPA)

• This is the first ever 'Cultural Property Agreement' between the two countries.

• It was signed on the sidelines of the 46th World Heritage Committee, at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

• It 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 States party.

• CPA aims to prevent illegal trafficking of cultural property and retrieval of antiquarian objects to their place of origin.

• Out of 358 Repatriated Indian Antiquities, 345 retrieved in the last One Decade.

46th World Heritage Committee

• The World Heritage Committee meets once a year.

• It consists of representatives from 21 of the States Parties to the Convention elected by their General Assembly.

• The Committee is responsible for the implementation of the World Heritage Convention, which defines the use of the World Heritage Fund and allocates financial assistance upon requests from States Parties.

• The Ministry of Culture (MoC) and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) are the nodal agencies to host the session this year.