The signing of the "Framework Agreement" in January 1992 in Singapore by member countries of ASEAN gave birth to the concept of an ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA). To make AFTA a reality the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM) agreed that preferential trading arrangements using the Common Effective Preferential Tarif Scheme (CEPT) will spearhead the implementation of AFTA.

Realizing the need to address Non-Tariff Barriers, such as those technical and regulatory in nature, in order to facilitate the implementation of the CEPT, the AEM in its meeting in November 1992 in Manila approved the formation of an ASEAN Committee called the ASEAN Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality (ACCSQ). The ACCSQ has, as us objectives, the facilitation of trade through the overcoming of technical barriers.

To implement programmes to meet the objectives of ACCSQ, a Technical Working Group (TWG) on Standards and Technical Information known as ACCSQ - TWGI was formed. The ACCSQ- TWGI realised that the need for transparency of each others regulations and technical requirements was paramount. Hence, the publication of this Directory on Contact Points.

With this Directory suppliers and customers will be able to access into each other's regulatory and technical requirements easily. Transparencies of each other's technical requirements can only prove as a starting point in facilitating trade, other initiatives to harmonise these requirements to lower or remove the technical barriers is now being considered.