Civilization began in Africa more than 4 million years ago. The world second largest continent, after Asia, has also been the scene of uncivilized behavior by various countries that sought to exploit its resources, both human and material. And those countries now have a moral obligation to help repair some of the damage they inflicted.

European domination of Africa began in the 15th Century when the Portuguese explored the coasts of Africa in an effort to find a safe route to India. Before long, trading stations were established by the Dutch, the English and the French. Regions became known as French West Africa and the French Cameroons, the Belgian Congo, Spanish Guinea and German South-West Africa. European imperialism was so widespread that between 1880 and 1912 every country except Liberia and Ethiopia had been colonized.

It wasn’t until the 1950s and ’60s that European powers, threatened by rising nationalism, granted independence to their territories. By then, however, the damage had been done. Africa had been carved up in such a way that it did not comport with the geographical, political or social organization of the native population. In fact, the very way the land was petitioned gave rise to many of the internal conflicts that we see being played out today.

The Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union and its ally, Cuba, also played out on the continent as well. Between 1962 and 1988, most U.S. aid to Africa went to Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan and Zaire. The lack of anti-Soviet zeal in the 1990s left the U.S. with no strategic approach to Africa and overall assistance to the continent subsequently declined.

Under the auspices of the United Nation, an international conference is being held through next week to assess how world powers that once used Africa for selfish gains can now come to its aid. The conference, known as the World Summit on Sustainable Development, is being held in Johannesburg, South Africa.

According to a summit fact sheet:

- More than 40 percent of African urban households live in absolute poverty, earning less than $1 a day and that rate is on the increase;

- While exports from developing countries grew at a rate of 9.6 percent a year during the 1990s, African exports grew at a far slower rate and the region’s share of world trade fell from 2.7 percent in 1990 to 2.1 percent in 2000;

- While most people have increased their consumption in recent years, the consumption expenditure for the average African household is 20 percent less than it was 25 years ago;

- The rate of deforestation in Africa is one of the highest in the world, losing 5.3 million hectares of forests [a hectare is the equivalent of 2,471 acres] each year during the 1990s;

- Official development assistance to most African countries fell by almost 25 percent over the last decade. In seven countries, it fell by more than 50 percent;

- In sub-Saharan Africa, about 30 percent of the children’s potentially healthy lives are lost to death or disability from acute respiratory infections, which in 60 percent of the cases, are caused by air pollution, and

- There are 25 million people living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa and more than 12 million people have died of AIDS in Africa—more than 2 million in a single year. Consequently, more than 13 million children have been orphaned as a result of the epidemic.

The summit in Johannesburg centers around nations restructuring international aid and establishing appropriate levels of funding; supporting initiatives for development, peace, security and stability; providing greater support to fight HIV/AIDS, promoting affordable access to technology by African countries and helping the flow of diversified energy sources to rural areas.

UN officials estimate that spending $66 billion a year by 2015 could save as many as 8 million lives a year and generate more than $360 billion a year by 2020. The Bush administration’s response to this growing crisis has been to offer nearly $4.5 billion over the next two or three years—much of it previously announced—to reduce disease and cultivate energy, clean water and forests.

Judging by the U.S. proposal being presented in Johannesburg, it is clear that Africa is not a priority for this nation’s leaders.

Michael A. Sheehan, assistant secretary-general of the UN department of peacekeeping operations, said as much in a meeting a month ago with African-American journalists at the United Nations.

Emphasizing that he was expressing his personal belief, Sheehan, an American who formerly served as coordinator of counter-terrorism for the U.S. State Department and as a member of the National Security Council, said Africa is not a priority for U.S. officials.

“I look at national interest by how much a country puts its money where its mouth is,” he said. “And I see there is a lack of commitment to Africa from the U.S.”