The American Anthropological Association (AAA) is the primary professional society of anthropologists in the United States since its founding in 1902, and is considered the world’s largest professional organization of individuals interested in anthropology.
In their Declaration on Anthropology and Human Rights, the American Anthropological Association defines the basis for its involvement , and, more generally, on behalf of the profession of Anthropology, in human rights.
The AAA founds its approach on anthropological principles of respect for concrete human differences, both collective and individual, rather than the abstract legal uniformity of Western tradition. In practical terms, however, its working definition builds on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights, and on Social, Economic, and Cultural Rights, the Conventions on Torture, Genocide, and Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and other treaties which bring basic human rights within the parameters of international written and customary law and practice.