As decided by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 14 June 1996, the "Committee on Strengthening the Effectiveness and Improving the Efficiency of the Safeguards System" of the IAEA met at the IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria, from 2-4 July 1996 under the chairmanship of Ambassador J. Th.H.C. van Ebbenhorst Tengbergen of the Netherlands. Representatives from 65 States and the European Commission and the Brazilian-Argentine Agency for Accounting and Control of Nuclear Materials (ABACC) attended the meeting.

The focus of discussions was a draft Protocol additional to comprehensive safeguards agreements between the IAEA and States prepared by the IAEA Secretariat. The aim of the draft Protocol is to provide the IAEA with additional verification objectives, particularly the ability to detect possible undeclared activities. During the discussion wide support was expressed for the need to further strengthen the IAEA safeguards system. The committee had a first reading of the draft Protocol and decided to resume its work on 1 October 1996.