“The Champion Mayors for Inclusive Growth Initiative is a valuable platform to support and strengthen the power of city leaders in bringing people, organisations and businesses together in a way that benefits both citizens and the environment. We, the Mayors, are problem solvers and I’m glad to have joined the Initiative as it is further inspiration for my daily work.”
– Mayor Zoran Janković
Zoran Janković (born 1 January 1953) started his professional career in 1978 at the Slovenian Post. In 1990, he founded the Electa company and served as director until 1997 when he was appointed CEO of Mercator until 2005. A year later, having received 62.99% of votes cast in the first round, Janković was elected Mayor of the capital of the Republic of Slovenia. He continued to win elections as an independent candidate in the first round in 2010 (64.79%), 2012 (60.99%) and 2014 (57.5 %).
For his successful economic work, and later as Mayor of the City of Ljubljana, he has received 24 recognitions, among which he was named Mayor of the Month in 2011 and ranked among the top 25 mayors in the world in 2012 by The City Mayors Foundation, which promotes good city governance globally.
Mayor Janković is married and father to two adult sons, as well as a proud grandfather to three grandchildren.
Ljubljana has been paying special attention to the development of youth policy and youth work since 1995, when a Youth Office was established within the city administration to coordinate youth work, provide young people with new activities and opportunities, and address the needs of all young people of Ljubljana. In 2012, Ljubljana became one of four Slovenian cities that earned the title “Youth-friendly Municipality” awarded by the Youth Policy Institute in collaboration with the Association of Municipalities and Towns of Slovenia – a non-permanent title and subject to regular assessments. When the first revalidation of the certificate was due, Ljubljana had adopted the City of Ljubljana Youth Strategy 2016–2025, establishing a comprehensive and sustainable municipal youth policy. One of the cornerstones of Ljubljana’s youth policy is the Young Dragons (Mladi zmaji) public institute, founded in 2009, whose purpose is to implement programmes that provide children and young adults with opportunities for constructive use of their free time and supply young people and their families with opportunities for personal growth and support them in achieving personal autonomy. To establish an environment in which all young people can discover and develop their talents, build self-confidence, participate in public life and be heard, Ljubljana also launched the City of Learning, a platform that promotes life-long learning and recording achievements.
Ljubljana has developed several digital products, services, spaces and experiences tailored to the needs of consumers, such as a digital city guide, the Ljubljana Wheelchair app, the public transport and tourist card Urbana, an application for recording the occupancy of parking spaces, BicikeLJ bike sharing scheme, electric car sharing, the WiFree Ljubljana city WiFi network, the Digital Innovation Hub to help health care communities provide digital services, the Green Supply Chains web platform, mobile audio guides in cultural institutions, and a smart tourist platform that monitors tourism flows in real-time and provides the input necessary to adapt the experiences for different target groups. In 2022 Ljubljana created an Office for Digitalisation which, along with the Digital Development Strategy, works to improve public access to the digital products, services and experiences. The flagship project is the Urban Digital Platform (UDP) which will bring together city services and providers in one place. The main objective of digital development in the City of Ljubljana is providing digital solutions that raise the quality of life of citizens, and allow them to be more productive while encouraging a sustainable society.
Ljubljana uses a Gender Equality Plan to ensure equal access to opportunities for men and women. Introduced in 2016, and regularly updated, the plan supports the improved integration of the principle of gender equality across city activities, aims to include women in decision-making processes and gaining economic independence, balances professional, family and private life, challenges traditional roles of women and men, fosters social inclusion of vulnerable groups of women and men, and promotes tolerance towards the LGBT community. Specific actions of the City of Ljubljana include ensuring gender balance in City Council, having a high representation of women in decision-making positions in local government, encouraging employees in the City Administration to use gender sensitive written and spoken language, establishing a group for implementing gender equality in the City Administration, naming city streets, squares and parks after famous women, erecting monuments of women, and providing good childcare services. The city raises awareness of LGBT issues by awarding LGBT-friendly certificates to community organisations promoting tolerance in their workplaces.
Ljubljana prides itself on its accessibility. The city has been recognised multiple times between 2012 and 2023 for its efforts to provide social equality through accessibility. Ensuring accessibility is integrated into all areas of operation of the City of Ljubljana, especially spatial planning, transport infrastructure development, provision of public transport and social activities such as education, culture, sports, social welfare and health. In 2021 the City Council adopted new action plan titled ‘Ljubljana. Accessible to all.’ which serves as the basis for further improving the accessibility of the city for people with disabilities and the elderly in the period up to 2025.