A/HRC/29/24 very little has been done to acknowledge the disadvantage experienced by Roma and few policies have been developed to address those concerns. 64. The Special Rapporteur thus believes it is necessary to reflect on the lessons learned, both globally and in particular from the European experience, to understand better why existing approaches have not managed to bring about structural change. Although she recognizes that every Roma community is unique, and there is no blanket approach that will accommodate every community, she believes that drawing some general lessons from real examples may be helpful for all regions looking forward. A. Lack of accurate data 65. Worldwide, comprehensive data on the situation of Roma communities has never been collected. Even in Europe, where more robust efforts are made than elsewhere, research indicates that Roma populations remain undercounted. For example, discrepancies between official statistics and unofficial estimates of Roma populations across 12 countries in Europe range from 45 to 99 per cent.56 66. Outside Europe, there are major gaps with regard to identifying and understanding Roma identity. Many States still continue to deny the existence of Roma as a minority group within their populations, or consider them outsiders, migrants or foreigners. 57 When statistics do exist at the national level, they are often based on censuses, but many Roma do not disclose their identity in census surveys due to a lack of inclusion of the category of Roma as an identity within the census, a reluctance to identify as Roma for fear of being discriminated against, or a lack of options for indicating multiple identities. 67. Those discrepancies call into question how well States have developed procedures that allow the expression of Roma ethnicity in a way that best reflects personal identities and embraces the principle of self-identification. The Special Rapporteur therefore notes that it is essential that all States make an effort to provide meaningful and respectful ways to encourage Roma communities to self-identify in order to generate more accurate data on Roma communities worldwide. 68. The Special Rapporteur further notes that the lack of accurate data on Roma populations has important consequences and directly impacts the ability to develop policies and programmes that comprehensively address the issues faced by Roma groups. Disaggregated data allows inequalities to be revealed objectively and demonstrated statistically, and provides clear markers by which progress towards targets can be monitored and evaluated. The lack of accurate data in turn contributes to a lack of evidence-based programmes building on clear indicators. Indeed, a recent European Union report acknowledged the impact of the lack of disaggregated data for Roma programming. 58 B. Lack of political will, including a reluctance to address anti-Gypsyism 69. Despite international standards prohibiting discrimination, stakeholders across the regions pointed to the absence of political will as a key factor explaining the insufficient implementation of those standards in the Roma context. 56 57 58 16 challenges identified”. See http://ec.europa.eu/justice/discrimination/files/com_209_2014_en.pdf. Open Society, “No Data No Progress” 2012, p. 29. See CERD/C/ECU/CO/20-22, para. 13. See www.romadecade.org/cms/upload/file/9765_file1_decade-intelligence-report.pdf, p. 6.