Beyond Myanmar, Rohingya have lived for decades in protracted displacement in Bangladesh, Malaysia, India and elsewhere without access to legal status or the legal right to work. This has prevented children and youths from accessing education and skills training and has driven men and women into precarious work in the informal sectors of the economy with few safety standards and no social safety nets. In times of pandemic or other external shocks, Rohingya families are at heightened risk of hunger, illness and violence. Dependents within households, and family members in Myanmar and elsewhere who rely on remittances from those working overseas are also increasingly vulnerable to these impacts. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the urgent need for the forms of justice that Rohingya activists and organisers across the globe have consistently called for, which will enable communities to return home in safety with their citizenship, rights and identity restored and their lands and properties returned. It also highlights the need for countries which host large Rohingya populations, to recognise and protect them as refugees, prioritise safety and dignity for Rohingya populations in situations of protracted and intergenerational displacement, and regularise their status. Priority must be given to safe migration and access to safe and decent work, education and healthcare. Then, Rohingyas will be less likely to resort to dangerous and irregular cross border journeys. They will instead be able to contribute positively to societies outside Myanmar, fill labour gaps in national economies, and to develop the vital skills needed to rebuild their communities in Rakhine when the situation is conducive to return. 4