A Treaty 9 Leader Joins International Coalition Advancing Land and Resource Rights
WASHINGTON, DC — February 7, 2026 — Jason Rasevych of Ginoogaming First Nation in Northwestern Ontario has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) as the global coalition overhauls its governance to deepen representation from Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities.
Rasevych — a Treaty #9 signatory community member — joins the board alongside four other new directors and a newly selected board chair, marking what RRI describes as a major shift toward governance led more directly by the communities the network serves.
A Northwestern Ontario Voice on a Global Board
Rasevych is the President and co-founder (2019) of the Anishnawbe Business Professional Association, an organization that advocates for the inclusion of Indigenous businesses in Canada’s economy.
He brings more than 20 years of global experience in Indigenous community development and corporate Indigenous relations strategies, and currently also serves as a Board Director with Waawoono Consultancy.
For readers in Thunder Bay and across Canada, his appointment is notable because RRI operates internationally in areas closely connected to Northern Ontario’s lived reality: land stewardship, resource rights, economic participation, and climate resilience.
What Is RRI?
RRI describes itself as the world’s largest solidarity network focused on the rights and development of Indigenous Peoples, Afro-descendant Peoples, and local communities.
The coalition works with more than 200 partner organizations globally, supporting efforts tied to collective land rights, livelihoods, gender justice, youth leadership, and climate resilience.
Major Governance Shift: New Chair, Broader Representation
RRI’s board unanimously selected Gustavo Sánchez Valle as its new Chair — a local community leader from Mexico who leads the RED MOCAF Network, a national network of forest peoples’ organizations.
RRI says this is the first time its board will be chaired by a local community leader from Mexico. The board’s new composition also includes an Afro-descendant woman and, for the first time, an Indigenous youth leader, reflecting an intentional push for more diverse leadership within the organization’s governance.
Who Else Was Appointed?
Alongside Rasevych, the newly appointed board members include:
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Dr. Barbara Reynolds, an Afro-descendant leader and former Chair of the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent
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Cindy Yohana, an Indigenous youth leader from the Wairasa community in Indonesia
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Beverly “Sakongan” Litdog Longid, an Indigenous rights advocate from the Philippines
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Kyle Whyte, an Indigenous philosopher and environmental justice scholar from the Potawatomi Tribal Nation in the United States
RRI’s outgoing Chair, Dr. Peggy Smith, an Indigenous scholar of Cree ancestry from the James Bay Treaty #9 area, said the transition reflects the coalition’s commitment to being led and governed by the communities it serves, while also strengthening collaboration between Indigenous movements across the Global North and South.
What Comes Next
RRI says the new board will help guide the coalition’s strategic direction as it continues work to advance land and resource rights globally. For Northwestern Ontario, Rasevych’s appointment places a Treaty 9 perspective in a key international forum where policy ideas, partnerships, and approaches to rights-based development are increasingly shaped.
