Relations between ASEAN and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) started in the early 1970s when UNDP sponsored a two-year in-depth study programme to assist ASEAN with its initial economic cooperation initiatives. UNDP was subsequently designated as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 1977 and is currently the only multilateral aid organization accorded with such status. 

The ASEAN-UNDP Sub-regional Programme (ASP), launched in 1977, further strengthened relations between the two organizations. It followed the UNDP framework for regional/inter-country programmes, which generally operate on five-year cycles. UNDP’s technical assistance was instrumental in promoting regional cooperation in a wide range of areas: trade, industry, agriculture, environment, women in development, institution-building, scientific and technological programmes, educational and cultural exchanges, finance and banking and transport and communications. 
The ASPs grew from US$700,000 in the second cycle (1977-81) to US$3 million in the third cycle (1982-1986) to peak at US$12.7 million for the fourth cycle. The ASP for the Fifth Cycle (19992-1996) which worked under the theme of Economic Outlook and Outward Looking Regionalism had a total budget of US$5.8 million and provided technical assistance in five sub-programme areas, namely: Trade and Investment Liberalization; Institutional Capacity Building; Human Resource Development; Trade and Environment; and Science and Technology. 

ASP 5 supported ASEAN as the region took dramatic steps towards ‘open regionalism’, i.e. using the regional integration process to develop a more competitive and open regional economy. UNDP’s support focused on supporting ASEAN’s regional trade liberalization under the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA); efficiently implementing the Common Effective Preferential Tariff System (CEPT); beginning the process of identifying and working to moderate non-tariff barriers to regional trade; supporting the development of a region wide ASEAN Investment Area (AIA); and helping to establish an ASEANWEB with a rapidly expanding coverage of numerous areas of ASEAN cooperation. 

The ASP-6, which was introduced in 1997, was reformulated as a fast track response to the financial crisis and to its impact on low income and vulnerable groups. It had a total budget of US $2.3 million. Some of its smaller sub-components dealt with trade and investment and institutional development issues. 

After the ASP’s, ASEAN and UNDP established a Partnership Facility (AUPF), a two-year program with a total budget of USD 1.4 million that started in April 2004 and extended till June 2006. The AUPF was established to support analysis and dialogue on current and emerging issues related to deepening regional integration in ASEAN Member Countries, with special attention given to CLMV countries. The AUPF specified five key areas of cooperation or output clusters as follows:

1. Support to the Initiative for ASEAN integration
2. Towards a Sustainable Economic Community
3. Enhancing ASEAN Competitiveness
4. Effective Utilization of Southeast Asian Human Development Indicators for Development Planning
5. Rapid Assessments and Strategic Initiatives 

During the lifetime of the AUPF, 18 projects were designed and implemented to support each output cluster. 

The ASEAN is currently working towards expanding relations, not only with the UNDP, but with the entire United Nations System. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has been invited to meet with the ASEAN Foreign Ministers during the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Manila on July 2007.