The Multinational Force and Observers is an independent (non-UN) peacekeeping mission, created as a result of the 1978 Camp David Accords and the 1979 Treaty of Peace.

The MFO's expenses, less the contributions of Germany and Japan, are funded in equal parts by the Arab Republic of Egypt , the State of Israel and the United States of America. Since 1982, various nations have contributed military and civilian personnel to serve in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula as part of this highly successful organization. The ten currently Participating States are Australia, Canada, Colombia, Fiji, France, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, the United States and Uruguay. Norway, while not a Participating State, provides the MFO with four staff officers.

With the Director General and his staff at MFO Headquarters in Rome, Italy, and representatives in Cairo and Tel Aviv, the bulk of the Force and the Civilian Observer Unit operate in the Sinai Peninsula. North Camp , located approximately 20 km south of the Mediterranean at El Gorah, is the site of the Force Commander's Headquarters and provides facilities for the logistical and operational needs of the Force. The smaller South Camp , near Sharm el Sheikh on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula , overlooks the Red Sea. From these main camps, the MFO mans a series of approximately 30 remote operational sites running the length of the penninsula.