Instituted
23 April 2002 by a media release from the NZ Minister of Defence
Service
The award of the MFO Medal is backdated to 1982 when New Zealanders first received their awards while serving with the MFO
The MFO Medal is awarded to members of the New Zealand Defence Force who serve with the MFO peacekeeping force in Sinai . The MFO monitors the compliance with the peace treaty signed between Isreal and Egypt in March 1979, which provided for Isreal to withdraw from the Sinai Peninsula.
New Zealand has contributed personnel to the force since 1982, and since that time over 700 Defence personnel have served in the Sinai. Until now New Zealanders have been able to accept but not wear the MFO Medal. This approval means that the MFO Medal will have the same status as medals from other international organisations such as the United nations and NATO.
"The Prime Minister, under a dispensation from the Queen, has now approved the wearing of the MFO Medal by New Zealand personnel," the Defence Minister said
