The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees says the current arrangements at the Nauru asylum seeker camp set up by Australia do not meet international protection standards.
A UNHCR team visited Nauru last week, meeting the Nauru government, the service providers and the inmates in the camp.
Don Wiseman has more.
"In a release the agency says there is a lack of clarity over the different legal and operational roles and responsibilities that the two countries are playing. It says while Nauru has set up a legal framework to cater for the asylum seekers it is not yet a functional, fair or an effective system for determining refugee status. The review team found the camp congested and below international standards. It says conditions are harsh with a lack of shelter from the daytime heat. The UNHCR says a number of the inmates are suffering from the effects of pre-existing trauma and torture and this raises questions about the quality of health facilities on the island. The agency calls for more information to be given to the asylum seekers about their situation: that they have more freedom of movement; that the legal framework issues are sorted as a matter of urgency and that proper assessments are made before they are moved from Christmas Island, to ensure especially vulnerable are not sent to Nauru."
