This special issue explores and analyzes gender mainstreaming in development of Bangladesh. The six papers in this issue were presented in an international conference titled ‘Gender mainstreaming in Politics, Administration and Development in South Asia and Beyond’ in Dhaka, Bangladesh in 2017. The papers in this special issue cover only a few studies from Bangladesh. Gender mainstreaming which was introduced as a strategy for the promotion of gender equality. by the Beijing Platform for Action in 1995, has received considerable global attention. However, many countries are facing numerous challenges in implementing this concept, not only due to the lack of willingness of political and administrative leaders but also due to an issue of conceptual clarity