CLEAR was conceived over 30 years ago as a resource for any entity or individual involved in the licensure, non-voluntary certification or registration of the hundreds of regulated occupations and professions. Since its inception, CLEAR's membership has included representatives of all governmental sectors, the private sector, and many others with an interest in this field.

CLEAR promotes regulatory excellence through conferences, educational programs, networking opportunities, publications, and research services for those involved with, or affected by, professional and occupational regulation. A neutral forum to encourage and provide for the sharing of best practices, CLEAR serves and supports the international regulatory community and its vital contribution to public protection.  CLEAR has defined its own educator role as proactively identifying critical issues; providing a dynamic, interactive forum for exploration of these issues and collecting and disseminating relevant information on them. There are four core areas of substantive inquiry that CLEAR supports through its annual conference and other venues: compliance and discipline; testing and examination issues; entry to practice issues; and administration, legislation and policy.

In brief, CLEAR's hallmark is its inclusiveness. Since it does not lobby or adopt positions on debatable matters, CLEAR offers neutral ground to those holding diverse viewpoints. This holistic approach serves its members well and permits unusual responsiveness to a necessarily varied and changing constituency. At this time, CLEAR is particularly interested in closer ties with the regulatory community in Western Europe and Australasia. An Office of International Affairs based in England provides assistance to all CLEAR's constituencies beyond North America.