Jens Evensen

Jens Ingebret Evensen (5 November 1917 – 15 February 2004) was a Norwegian lawyer, judge, politician (for the Labour Party), trade minister, international offshore rights expert, member of the International Law Commission and judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, member of The Swedish Order of the Polar Star and Commander Of The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav.

He negotiated Norway's trading deal with EF in 1972 as minister of commerce, serving in this role in the governments of both Trygve Bratteli and Odvar Nordli. He then served as ocean minister until 1979. He worked to secure government income from Norwegian oil discoveries. The "Gray Zone" deal was also his work. UN's oceans treaty (1982) is greatly fundamental based on Evensen's work. Former Labour Party politician and head of Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) Einar Førde called Jens Evensen "one of the great Norwegians of the last century."

Evensen grew up in a labour environment in Oslo (called Kristiania until 1925). He was the son of a successful butcher, Jens Ingebret Evensen, in Grønland. His father routinely gave out meat and sausages to the underprivileged on the east side of Oslo and Evensen himself helped out to support those who had no work or food.

Evensen was originally to take over his father's butcher business, but his mother had other ambitions for him: In 1936 Evensen enrolled in the University of Oslo Law School. His first job after he graduated was at the law firm Folkvard Bugge. The firm specialized in helping tenants to enforce their legal right to buy the apartments they lived in. Evensen helped the tenants, many of whom were illiterate, and explained the rights they had.

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