As the Digital Convergence Initiative (DCI) supports countries in building integrated digital social protection systems, a core challenge remains how to effectively connect systems and enable secure data exchange across institutions. DCI provides standards for how systems should communicate—covering data models, processes, and API protocols—to enable scalable and sustainable interoperability.

Data Exchange Platforms/Middleware—technologies (e.g. Enterprise Service Bus (ESB), API gateways) that allow systems to connect and share data—play a key role in implementing these standards. It supports secure messaging, access control, and service orchestration between platforms. However, middleware solutions vary. This webinar explored the role of middleware for interoperability, shared real-world country experiences, and fostered dialogue around strategic, scalable approaches to digital interoperability in social protection.

This was the twentieth webinar of the “Talking interoperability” dialogue series organised by the Digital Convergence Initiative (DCI). These meetings aim to facilitate in-depth technical conversations around designing for interoperability in the social protection sector. By bringing together digital social protection and technology experts from government agencies, software vendors, system integrators, and international organisations, they aim to promote peer-based learning and problem solving.

Speakers:

• Anita Mittal, Component Lead, GIZ
• Juan Carlos Daille, Ministerio Secretaría General de la Presidencia, Technical Leader of the new interoperability network for the state of Chile, Chile
• Emmanuel Yeka, Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Head of IT at the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Uganda
• Santosh Kadam, Center for e-Governance, Government of Karnataka, Senior Consultant (Technology Management)

Moderator: Maksim Ovtsinnikov, GovStack Data Lead