Cielo Morales holds a bachelor's degree in law and political sciences from the University of Panama, a master's degree in international law from Kings College London, and a postgraduate degree in management and public policy from Adolfo Ibáñez University in Chile. She has 30 years of experience in international development cooperation, public policy development and implementation, and institutional and individual capacity-building within the United Nations system.
She has served as Chief of the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES) since 2017. Previously, at the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) she was Chief of the Project Management Unit of the Programme Planning and Operations Division (2012–2017) and Regional Adviser on Technical Cooperation for Development (2011–2012). With the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) she served as Deputy Resident Representative in Chile and the Plurinational State of Bolivia and Programme Officer for the Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean in New York.