The main purpose for the establishment of AROS is to facilitate equivalence between organic standards and certification programmes within and beyond the Asia region. It was also anticipated that AROS could be adapted to serve as the national standard for some of the individual countries in the region. The Global Organic Market Access (GOMA) Working Group for Cooperation on Organic Labeling and Trade for Asia agreed on a vision and objectives for AROS.

The GOMA project is a joint FAO, IFOAM, UNCTAD project, which functioned from 2009 to 2012 to promote and foster equivalence and harmonisation of organic standards and technical regulations. A principal GOMA activity during this period was the facilitation of an initiative in East, South-East and South Asia to foster regional development of organic trade. GOMA organized a Working Group for Cooperation on Organic Labeling and Trade for Asia and this group decided to develop the Asia Regional Organic Standards (AROS)