JEDDAH: International cooperation and multilateral trade are key to economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 world, according to the G20’s think tank engagement group, T20.
The members of the group took part in an online seminar on Wednesday, during which they discussed the effects of the pandemic on economies around the world. During the virtual gathering, Fahad Al-Mubarak, Saudi Arabia’s G20 sherpa, highlighted the role of the group and the spirit of cooperation among its members.
“The T20 is an important and integral part of the G20 family, and we look to you to offer us independent thoughts, ideas and recommendations,” he said.
“Most of our challenges globally require our cooperative efforts. We are planning to develop several solutions, restore sustainable growth and create employment opportunities for those who lost their jobs because of this pandemic.”
Al-Mubarak noted that in the aftermath of the 2008 global financial crisis, the G20 implemented important initiatives to develop stronger global financial and banking systems.
“This strong banking system has actually helped us this time,” he said. “If the banking system had been weak, it would have been a compound disaster because of this pandemic. However, because we have stronger banks now, we are able to sustain the consequences of the pandemic with more resilience.”
The seminar included a session devoted to the T20’s Task Force 1: Trade, Investment and Growth, which was co-chaired by Shura Council member Said Al-Shaikh. It focused on four themes: trade reform, subsidies and tax, digital technologies and investment, and the fourth industrial revolution.
Al-Shaikh said that the pandemic presents an additional challenge on top of the existing challenges the global trading system was facing, which arise from protectionism, equal access to global value chains, and legal issues related to digital trade and services.
The pandemic has influenced the task force’s policy recommendations, he added.
“There is a message that WTO (World Trade Organization) reform is possible despite the challenges that undermine its existence now,” he said. “The task force believes that the pandemic has demonstrated that the multilateral trade system is needed more than ever, to minimize disruptions to (the goods and services needed) to meet upcoming health and economic challenges.”
The task force members said a revival of economic activity is possible, but added that while governments and central banks in G20 countries have been working on fiscal policy stimulus initiatives and monetary policy recommendations to support their economies, fair trade policies and measures to stimulate global economic growth must not be neglected.
The task force also emphasized the importance of keeping international markets open and stable, and of fostering more favorable business environments, especially for sustainable foreign investment, “to lessen the impact of the pandemic, particularly on primary material-based economies in developing countries.”
Martin Muhleisen, director of the International Monetary Fund’s Strategy, Policy, and Review Department, highlighted the importance of multilateralism and cooperation between governments.
“The crisis has shown the importance of multilateralism like never before,” he said. “Since the beginning, when we were all very concerned about health, markets and the future of the economy, what has always been uplifting is to sit together with colleagues from around the world in many of these multilateral meetings — whether within our institution, the IMF, or across international institutions or the G20, or in civil-society forums — and see everybody trying to figure out how to move forward on this issue, and how to solve the health crisis and prevent lasting economic damage.”
The IMF has been able to offer emergency financial assistance to countries that might otherwise experience great difficulties, Muhleisen said. So far, 102 countries have requested such aid.
“We have increased the access limits and we will probably increase them further for this type of assistance to help countries that have nowhere else to go at the moment,” he added.
Saudi Arabia holds the presidency of the G20 this year and the group’s annual summit is due to be held in Riyadh in November. The T20 if one of several independent engagement groups focusing on different sections and sectors of society, led by organizations from the host country, that develop policy recommendations for consideration by G20 leaders.
Multilateralism is key to post-COVID recovery, says G20’s think tank group
https://arab.news/bpcm3
Multilateralism is key to post-COVID recovery, says G20’s think tank group
- Members of the T20 engagement group gathered online to discuss economic effects of pandemic
- Nations must look beyond rebuilding their own economies and take a more global view, they advise
Is sourdough Saudi Arabia’s latest craft food?
- Saudi home bakers point to a practice that was once routine, not artisanal
- Naturally fermented bread reflects a broader shift toward process-driven, premium food culture
ALKHOBAR: Sourdough has started to shift from a niche interest into a mainstream feature of home kitchens, cafes and specialty bakeries across the Kingdom.
The rise of sourdough is part of a wider shift in Saudi Arabia’s food landscape, where artisanal production and slower preparation methods are gaining traction.
Specialty coffee seems to have set the early template for this transition, normalizing premium pricing, craftsmanship and an interest in process.
Bread is now undergoing a similar shift, with fermentation replacing extraction and roasting as the central point of differentiation.
In both cases, the appeal is rooted in the product’s perceived authenticity, reduced additives, and a clearer link between raw ingredients and final consumption.
Home bakers in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province have adapted natural yeast cultures to the Saudi environment, adjusting feeding schedules, hydration ratios, and fermentation times to accommodate higher temperatures and lower humidity in the summer months.
HIGHLIGHTS
• Home bakers in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province have adapted natural yeast cultures to the Saudi environment.
• They adjust feeding schedules, hydration ratios, and fermentation times to accommodate higher temperatures and lower humidity in the summer months.
Cafes and specialty bakeries have responded by adding sourdough loaves, baguettes and focaccia to their menus, often positioned as premium alternatives to conventional commercial bread.
For younger home bakers, the appeal lies in the craft and the learning curve rather than nostalgia. “It feels more real and more intentional,” home baker Sarah Al-Almaei told Arab News. She began experimenting with natural yeast at home after watching starter tutorials online.
The technical aspect — hydration percentages, fermentation control and starter maintenance — has become content in its own right, with TikTok and Instagram compressing trial-and-error learning into short videos and recipe cards.
But the practice of maintaining a natural yeast culture is not new in Saudi Arabia. Long before sourdough became a global trend, Saudi households kept what was commonly referred to as the “mother dough,” a natural yeast starter fed and used daily.
“We used to maintain it every day and bake with it,” said Hessa Al-Otaibi, 56, a Saudi home baker with more than four decades’ experience. “People today call it sourdough. For us, it was simply bread.”
Her comment highlights a cultural continuity that has remained largely unrecognized, partly because the practice was not framed as artisanal or health-oriented, but as a routine household function.
The modern sourdough trend differs in its market positioning. While the older model was practical and domestic, the current model is commercial, aesthetic and often health-coded. Bakeries justify higher pricing through longer fermentation times, higher ingredient costs and smaller batch production.
Consumers justify their purchases through digestibility, perceived health benefits, flavor and product integrity.
“Once you get used to it, it’s hard to go back,” said Amina Al-Zahrani, a regular buyer of sourdough from specialty bakeries in Alkhobar.
Digestibility and texture are often cited as reasons for substitution, especially among buyers who report discomfort from standard commercial bread.
Another consumer, Majda Al-Ansari, says sourdough has become part of her weekly routine, noting that availability and quality have improved significantly in the past year.
The social media component has played an outsized role in accelerating adoption. Home bakers document starter feeding cycles, cold proofing and first bakes, turning a once-private domestic process into visible public content.
This has also created micro-markets of home-based sellers, where individual bakers offer loaves to local buyers, often fulfilling orders through direct messaging.
What remains to be seen is how far the trend will scale. If specialty bakeries continue to expand and consumers maintain willingness to pay premium prices, sourdough could establish a long-term place in Saudi food culture.
If not, it may revert to a smaller niche of committed home bakers and specialty cafes. For now, however, sourdough occupies an unusual position: both a newly fashionable trend and a quiet continuation of an older Saudi baking practice.
