Barcelona, Spain ? An important step in the fight against AIDS in the developing world is for poor nations to immediately make a deal with drug companies or other countries to provide affordable HIV drugs, former President Clinton said Thursday.

Clinton joined a panel of former heads of state at the 14th International AIDS Conference to discuss the role of political leadership in the global fight against AIDS.

He told conference participants they were the real heroes in the fight against AIDS.

“Most of what people like me have done, you’ve kind of dragged out of us over the course of 20 years by educating us and continuing to chip away,” Clinton said.

He told them not to be discouraged.

The United Nations has estimated the world will need to spend $10 billion a year for several years to get the pandemic under control.