A ‘Women in Development’ policy, introduced by the Asian Development Bank has been in existence since 1985. This policy ensures that the Bank projects should focus on women and their needs in a variety of ways. This country briefing paper provides an overview of the situation of women in Sri Lanka. It highlights the manner current issues such as poverty, the impact of the civil war and the plight of migrant women worker affect them. The gender dimensions of policies and programs in Sri Lanka are also presented and assessed. Moreover, gender issues are analysed within the context of the Bank’s operations and its gender strategy for Sri Lanka is outlined. This paper has been prepared in the context of the 1998-2001 Country Operational Strategy Study for Sri Lanka, and its ultimate purpose is to provide information on gender issues to assist the Bank staff in country programming, project design and implementation.