Joseph D. Foukona

Dr Joseph D. Foukona is an Assistant Professor at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, USA. He is a former senior lecturer at the University of the South Pacific Law School located in Port Vila, Vanuatu. He has a strong research focus on land, law and history. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy – awarded through the Australian National University (ANU) Education Fellowship Scheme. He joined the staff of USP Law School at the end of 2004. He has an LLB, LLM, PDLP and GDTT from the University of the South Pacific and an LLM from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. He completed a PhD at the Australian National University focusing on land law reform, which matches closely his keen personal interest in finding solutions to the seemingly intractable problem of the alignment in Melanesia between customary land tenure systems on one hand and state legislation, land administration and commercial demands on the other. He also has undertaken research on customary land tenure, climate change and natural disaster displacements and relocation, urban land, land reform, constitutional and governance issues. Through research, training and teaching experience Dr Foukona has detailed working knowledge of land law, land issues, development and governance issues in Solomon Islands and the Pacific region. His work has been recognised through professional associations, publications and academic awards.