It is part of the “Information and Communication and Technology (ICT) as enabler of social security policy and programme integration”, project being carried out by the International Social Security Association’s (ISSA) Technical Commission on Information and Communication Technology during the 2011-2013 triennium. One of the objectives of this project is to look at the complexities of implementation of interoperability when it integrates information and services associated with different social programmes, in order to identify solutions and share experiences. This report is thus part of the documentation which constitutes the ISSA Guidelines on Information Technologies currently being prepared.

The report analyses the scope and implementation of interoperability in the area of competence of social security institutions. It has been divided into a series of chapters to assist in understanding interoperability in its entirety. Chapter 2 provides a series of definitions and basic concepts of interoperability along with a set of principles for application. Chapter 3 describes the dimensions of interoperability from various points of view and defines a series of models for the application of interoperability in the systems involved. Chapter 4 describes various interoperability initiatives in the field of electronic administration in different countries. Chapter 5 describes a number of scenarios for the application of interoperability in the social security sector. Chapter 6 consists of a series of considerations concerning the application of interoperability in social security providing details on aspects to be taken into account in each one of the dimensions of application of interoperability, and presents a model for practical application.