Many questions remain about ASEAN’s humanitarian role, ranging from the practical to the more theoretical. What prompted the developmen of humanitarian action within ASEAN, and how has its approach to crisis preparedness and response evolved? How does ASEAN conceptualise humanitarian action? How do ASEAN’s principles of non-interference and consensus – as well as notions of development and regional security – apply to its humanitarian efforts? How has ASEAN actually responded to humanitarian crises, and how were these responses perceived by other actors? These are some of the questions asked in this paper.