Sixteen years after Bangladesh endorsed the Beijing Plan of Action (1995) for gender equality at the UN Conference for Women, the Cabinet has finally okayed a National Policy for Women’s Development in 2011. Its earlier incarnation formulated in 1997, in consultation with women’s groups, and perhaps in deference to international commitments and aid promises never got off the ground. It then became hostage to fractionalized politics. A revisit to its history explains why the 2011 Policy remains conservative in limiting its recognition of women’s rights in the public sphere and how institutional weaknesses and bureaucratic conservatism can frustrate implementation.